


The Weight

by Atisan



Series: You Put the Load Right On Me [1]
Category: Love Victor (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 107,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atisan/pseuds/Atisan
Summary: A direct continuation of Season 1, Episode 10.Victor has thought about how his family would react many times. But this is the one reaction he did not expect.What happened after Victor told his parents and how does he begin to move forward in this new phase of his journey.
Relationships: Benjamin "Benji" Campbell/Victor Salazar, Bram Greenfeld/Simon Spier
Series: You Put the Load Right On Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1856557
Comments: 304
Kudos: 392
Collections: Love Victor





	1. Not Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed Love, Victor and have read some absolutely amazing fan fic. This is my humble attempt. It's been a long time since I've been inspired to write but these characters really spoke to me. I also wanted to take things a different way than some of the other reaction stories. Hopefully though I have still managed to do justice to these characters.

“It’s nothing” Victor Salazar said before turning around and heading to his room. He paused. Simon Spier’s words were ringing through his head.

_**“But here’s the thing about the truth: You can’t control how people will react to it.”** _

He turned back and faced his family.

“No. Not nothing” he said. Victor Salazar looked to the couch where his sister Pilar was sitting, before returning his gaze to his parents Armando and Isabel.

Simon’s last message consumed his mind. _**“All you can do is be honest with the people you love.”**_

“M-Mom... Dad...” He felt the words leave his mouth, unable to hold them back any longer. He shook his head.

**_“The rest is up to them.”_ **

“I’m gay”

His shoulders slumped as he let out his breath. He had finally exhaled. He felt a small smile come to his face.

He heard air escape from Pilar as well. Whether a gasp or a sigh he could not tell. But Victor did not look at her. While he could sense her presence, it was his parents that he found himself transfixed on.

His mother seemed rooted in place. Her jaw had lowered slightly and her eyes were moving back and forth as she processed what her oldest son had just said. For several eternally long seconds, Victor watched as she tried to process what he had just told her.

His father meanwhile was rising from the couch. In two quick bounds he was on Victor. After so many times picturing every scenario, this one was the one Victor had hoped most to avoid. Victor had feared his father’s reaction and had considered that violence might be a possibility. He knew how traditional his father was and how he was raised, so he always knew there was a chance that Armando might try to beat him into submission. The boy tensed, preparing for the worst.

Instead, he found himself engulfed in his father’s arms. Armando held his oldest boy close to his chest. He bent his head down and kissed him on the forehead.

“I’m so proud of you mijo” he said in a soft voice. Victor realized that his father was crying.

This time, Pilar definitely gasped. Victor could briefly see her surprised face just over his father’s left shoulder.

Victor was frozen in shock. Proud? Did his father really just say that? Of all the things he had expected from his father, this was the last on the list. Armando kept holding his son tight against his chest, rubbing small circles along his back. Victor could feel his father’s heartbeat, it was steady and strong. Victor’s however was beating out of his chest. How could his father be so calm about this? After what he had said after Victor’s party. His hope that his younger brother Adrian would not ‘turn out that way’

Victor looked up at his father slowly and saw Armando looking down at him. Any concern or anger Victor had expected was replaced with the most loving smile he could recall. Victor couldn't think of a time where his father had smiled like that at him. Not after a basketball win. Not even when he first brought Mia to visit.

Mia. Why wasn’t his father asking about Mia? What was going on? Had his father lost his mind from this news? Was he having a mental break? Maybe this wasn’t his father at all? No. Of course it was. This was the same man who had shocked him when he had said he didn’t care what Benji and Derek did. Victor had assumed that his father was more like Tito and Abuela. Clearly, his father was still capable of surprising him.

Victor detached himself from his father’s embrace carefully and looked toward his mother. Isabel was still sitting on the couch. She seemed to finally be recovering from the shock of not just what Victor had said but also how her husband had reacted to the news.

“Your father is right, mijo. We’re... proud of you for telling us the truth.” She said these words very softly and her voice was shaky. In fact, Victor noticed that she was holding her hands in her lap trying to hide that they were trembling.

She looked from Pilar to Armando to Victor. “It’s getting late... Why don’t you both get changed and go to bed. We’ll... talk more in the morning.” she continued.

Isabel looked at her son and Victor could tell she was trying, but her mind was still reeling. She forced a smile “I’ll make your favorite.”

Victor felt his father give him a warm squeeze on the shoulder.

“Your mother is right. It’s been a big night for both of you. Go on. Get some rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He again pulled Victor into a long hug. Then he moved toward Pilar.

His sister, also reeling from the shocking amount of affection from her father, accepted the hug without protest. Then she turned and headed down the hallway to her room. Victor looked back at his mother and then at his father.

“G-Good Night” Victor said in a quivering voice.

“Good Night mijo. We love you.” Armando said.

“Yes. We love you.” Isabel repeated in the same soft tone as before.

Victor turned and walked slowly back to his room. He didn’t dare look back. He had no idea what had just happened.

Victor entered his room, slowly shut the door and locked it. He pressed his back against the door and soon found himself sliding down it and onto the carpet.

What had just happened? What had he done? Did he actually say it? Did he say he was gay? He definitely said it right? Maybe his parents had misheard him?

No. He had said it. He knew he had. He felt the air leave him. He felt his whole body relax. But he hadn’t expected what came next. He had run through every scenario in his head. He felt a smile creep onto his face. His father had surprised him. And his mother had accepted him as well. He could tell that she was shocked, but he also knew that she would work through it. The fact that she had forced herself to speak up the way she did told him all he needed to know. And then there was Pilar. He worried about her the least, but he definitely knew he had shocked her. Though likely not as much as his father had.

As if on cue, his phone dinged, notifying him of a new text message. He reached into his pant pocket and withdrew his phone. He glanced down at the message his sister had sent. Short and to the point.

_“Wow. I didn’t expect that from papi! BTW, I’m also proud of you. But what about Mia and B? Talk more tomorrow."_

Mia. Victor sighed. He had wanted to give her the perfect night and he had ruined it. He glanced over at the clock and realized it was nearly 11pm. He didn’t want to call her just to give her a reason to hang up, but he knew he couldn’t leave things like this.

He took several deep breaths and then exhaled. Finally, he selected Mia’s name on his phone and pressed the call button.

The phone immediately went to voicemail. Either she had blocked him or it was off. It really didn’t matter. As the voicemail message beeped, Victor found the words flowing out of him.

“Mia, I wanted tonight to be special for you. And I am so,so sorry that I ruined that. I know that it has been tough for you lately and I wasn’t trying to hide this from you, I swear! I really just didn’t want to add anything. That was wrong. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Mia.

The truth is…” He paused and realized that for the second time tonight, he would say the words out loud.  
“I’m gay. This is something I’ve been struggling with for a long time and it has nothing to do with you. Please believe me when I say that what we had and how I felt about you was real Mia. It was. I mean it when I say you’re my favorite person. But I’m sorry Mia. I really really am. I can’t deny who I am. And who I am...is gay.” He paused again, realizing he was running out of time before the machine cut him off.

“I understand if you need time. I mean, this wasn’t how I wanted tonight to turn out for you. I wanted this to be a great night for you. And I know I ruined it. And I’ll answer any questions you have when you’re ready. Whatever you want to know. I promise. I’m an open book.” Victor cringed after that last line. He quickly continued.

“I hope we can still be friends after this. I really do care about you. Please, just... call me when you’re ready.”

Victor pulled the phone away from his ear and touched ‘End’. Immediately a text message came up. Felix had messaged him while he had called Mia.

_“Dude! I’m still at the school. Where did you go? Mia and you won prom king and queen! Lake and I accepted. And Victor! She told the WHOLE SCHOOL she was dating me. I have a girlfriend! I can’t believe it!”_

Victor smiled. He was happy for his friend and for Lake. He quickly wrote back.

_“That’s awesome dude! Mia and I left early. Long story. Talk to you tomorrow? Congrats man!”_

Victor did not have to wait long as the three dots on his phone quickly popped up.

_“Sounds good. Have a good night!”_

Victor smiled. It had been quite the night. He stared at the phone for a few moments and nearly jumped up when it rang. Mia was calling.

His fingers trembled as he answered the call and raised it to his ear.

“M-Mia?” he asked.

“I listened to your message” Mia’s voice was soft and controlled. Victor could tell she had been crying. “I understand Victor.”

“You do?” Victor asked. In truth, he was not sure he could understand if he were in her position.

“I do. I saw how you kissed Benji tonight.” Again, Mia’s voice had a tinge of sadness. “We never had that same passion. And I guess if I’m being honest, a part of me knew that”

“Mia. I’m so sorry. I should have told you sooner”

“You need to stop apologizing for being who you are Victor. You hurt me and you’re sorry. I get that. And I’m not going to lie. This sucks. And it hurts. I need time to process all of this. But I know what we had was real. I know you were confused. And maybe I was too.”

Victor was stunned. Why was Mia confused? And then the answer hit him.

“I think- a part of me never got over Andrew.” Mia said. Her voice was getting a little firmer now, but Victor still heard her sniffle.

Andrew. Victor still couldn’t understand what Mia saw in him. He seemed like such a jerk. But then, Andrew had kept his promise and didn’t tell Mia what he had seen. That had been Victor’s fault. He had been the one to kiss Benji in public before telling Mia. He had cheated on her. He couldn’t blame Andrew for that.

“It’s not that I didn’t care about you Victor.” Mia continued, “It’s just that… I felt it too. The spark. It wasn’t the same as what I had with Andrew. And I knew that. I knew it after you dragged Felix along that night.”

Victor felt himself nodding. “I think I knew it too.” he said. “I just didn’t want to admit it”

“Neither of us did.” Mia said. Victor felt a tinge of sadness. They had both held on longer than they should have. Victor wondered if this was what his parents had felt and that was why they had decided to separate.

“So, Benji.” Mia said, changing the subject and trying to sound happier. “I should have seen that sooner. I did notice how you looked at each other.”

Victor felt himself blush. And then he realized he had one more thing he had to tell Mia, no matter how mad it made her. He couldn’t keep any more secrets in.

“That trip with him-” Victor started to say.

“Something happened.” Mia finished. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

Victor fell silent.

“I know something happened Victor. The two of you wouldn’t make eye contact. Neither of you worked the same shifts. Looking back, I should have known something had happened.”

Victor felt a pit growing in his stomach. He had hurt Mia so much. He had betrayed her trust and now he had her blaming herself.

“No. I should have told you” he said matter of factly. He would not allow Mia to blame herself for his actions. “I kissed Benji.”

There was silence on the other end. Victor realized Mia was waiting for him to continue.

“I-I lied about the machine. It was ready that afternoon. But I was having such a good time with Benji that I lied to him so we would stay the night. I still don’t know why I did that. But we were in the hotel room and we started talking and opening up to each other and I just felt- I just felt... I just- kissed him”

“Wow.” Mia said. Victor couldn’t tell if she was angry, surprised or something else entirely.

“And he pushed me off and stopped it immediately. And then we tried to go our separate ways”

“And then tonight you worked it out.” Mia said. It was again a statement. Not a judgement.

“Yeah... I wrote him a letter apologizing and he forgave me. But... Pilar found the letter and realized I had kissed someone else because I had addressed it to “B”... and she... interrogated Benji in front of Derek”

“So Pilar was defending my honor” Mia said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“I-I guess so. But Derek figured it out and got into a fight with Benji and I... tried to explain it was my fault and then they went to talk. And... Benji broke up with him.”

“And that’s where I came in.” Mia finished. This time she did sound a bit more amused than angry.

“Yeah. I guess so. Mia, I am so s-”

“If you say you are sorry to me one more time Victor Salazar, I am going to come over there and beat you up in front of your mother.”

He let out a small chuckle. “But I am.”

Victor heard Mia let out a long sigh over the phone. “I know Victor. And I’m glad we talked. Really. I’m still mad at you for the cheating...” her voice raised slightly, “...but at least I understand why.”

“Sooo…are we going to be ok?” he asked.

“We will be” Mia promised, “But it will take time. I’m glad you have found yourself. And as your friend, I’m proud of you and I want to be able to support you.”

She paused before continuing.

“But I need to take a lesson from you. I need to figure myself out. I need to determine what _I_ want. I need to focus on myself for a bit. I deserve that.”

Victor couldn’t agree more and found himself saying it aloud “I couldn’t agree more”

“Veronica actually really helped me tonight. After **you broke my heart** ” Mia teased and Victor still winced, “She was there for me to lean on. It’s weird having a mother figure again. And with this new sibling on the way,” Mia let out a long sigh, “I owe it to myself and her to try and have a relationship with her. I’ve been so used to the women in my dad’s life leaving that I haven’t been fair to her or to me. I’ve been afraid to get attached. But, she isn’t going anywhere and neither am I.”

“That’s great Mia. Really.”

“And… I think I want to pursue a serious relationship with Andrew.”

Victor felt himself blanch at this. He still couldn’t stand Andrew and had no idea what Mia saw in him.

It felt like Mia sensed this as well. “He was really there for me tonight. And he is seriously trying to be a better person. I know deep down he’s a good guy and he’s trying to show it to others now too.”

“I just want you to be happy Mia. You deserve it.”

“So do you Victor. So, even though you don’t need it, you have my blessing to date Benji.”

Victor felt his whole body relax. He actually did need that and hadn’t realized.

Mia continued “I want you both to be happy. And who knows? Maybe we can all go on a double date?”

Victor laughed. He then added “Or all three couples could go out. Did Lake tell you that she is officially dating Felix now?”

“ _NO!_ ” Mia screamed and Victor quickly moved the phone away from his ear. When she finished, he continued.

“Apparently we won prom king and queen and Lake accepted along with Felix and she told the whole school she wanted to date him”

“Oh my god!” Mia exclaimed. “I have to call her. I can’t believe she did that!”

“Yeah. She did. Felix texted me. He’s so happy right now.”

“Well that’s good.”

Victor looked at the clock on his bedside table and realized it was nearly midnight.

“Also, I um… told my family”

Mia’s voice grew serious and he heard her shift in her seat. “What? That you’re-”

“Gay. Yeah.” Victor said. It was the fourth time he had said it that night and it was sounding more and more right as he said it.

“How did they handle it?” she asked.

“Really good. Papi hugged me. My mom is making my favorite breakfast and wants to talk more tomorrow.”

“I’m glad Victor.” Mia said. And Victor could feel she meant it.

“Thank you Mia. Thank you for all you’ve done for me since I came to Creekwood. I really mean it: You are my favorite person.”

“And you’re mine Victor Salazar. Get some rest ok? It’s been a long day for both of us”

“Ok. I’ll see you Monday at lunch?” He inquired.

“You and Benji better be there.” she warned in a playful tone.

Victor chuckled again. “We will. Night”

“Night.”

Victor felt the line click off and he brought the phone down to the floor. After a few minutes of absorbing what happened, he slowly stood up, realizing how much his back was bothering him from spending an hour against his door. He placed his phone down on his bedside table and walked over to his dresser to take out some pajamas. He quickly changed and returned to grab his phone and laid on the bed.

He pulled up Simon’s name and began to type. He smiled.

Simon would not believe the night he’d had.


	2. The Weight

_Dear Simon,_

_I finally exhaled. You were right._

_I can't control how people will react to the truth. But I also can't hide from it anymore. I kissed Benji tonight. Or rather, he kissed me this time. He broke up with Derek. It's a long story and I'll tell you about it later._

_Unfortunately, I hurt Mia in the process. She saw us. I know you were right and I should have come clean with her much earlier. And I will always regret not doing so because I ruined this special evening for her. Before you ask, yes, I did apologize. And the good news is that she is willing to forgive me. She's asked for time to process all of this, but she couldn't have been kinder. But I know I hurt her and I have to live with that._

_And that's not all. My parents informed my sister and I that they are separating. In truth, maybe this is not a bad thing for now. Something has been off with them ever since the move. We now know that it was the affair, but they recognized that they need to be better for our sake and they were honest with Pilar and me about that. And so..._

_I came out to them. Simon, I have never been so terrified in my life. For a moment, I thought I broke my mother's heart. And my father moved so quickly, I was sure he was going to try and beat the gay out of me but... he hugged me instead._

_They are still processing this. I know my mom is. But they did let me know they still love me. Pilar too. We're talking more tomorrow and while I'm terrified, I have also never felt more free. At least it is out there now. Whatever happens next, happens. As you said, I can't control how people will react. All I can do is be honest with the people I love._

_So thank you Simon. I know I wouldn't have had the courage to do this without you, Bram, Ivy, Justin, and Kim. Your guidance and support mean more than I can express. While I have a long way to go, at least I've taken my first steps._

_I'm texting Benji tomorrow to see what's next for us. I'm nervous but also excited to take this step. I don't know where it will lead, but I guess that's part of the excitement? The unknown._

_\- Victor_

Victor pushed send and set his phone down on his bedside table. He looked over at the clock and sighed. In a few hours, he would have to have a full conversation with his parents. And just as tonight had been full of surprises, he had no idea what to expect tomorrow when he finally told them everything.

And yet, Victor still found himself smiling. The worst was over. He could finally be himself and stop hiding from his family and friends. True, this just meant the start of a far more difficult journey and there would certainly be obstacles placed in his way. But he was from a middle class Latino family. It would certainly not be the first time he experienced prejudice and it would sadly not be the last time. And besides, he had Benji and Felix. And Mia had said she would be there for him- eventually. He knew he'd have to come out in school. But in truth, that had been his plan from the start. Yes, it was more difficult now after the whole school had seen him and Mia dating, but Victor _knew_ he could not keep any more secrets. He was done with that for good.

He pulled his covers up and turned off his light. He lay his head on his pillow and let his mind wander. Minutes later, the events of the long evening took their toll and Victor passed out.

**************

Isabel loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher while Armando finished wiping down the counter. She noticed her hands had finally stopped shaking. She closed the door to the dishwasher and turned to look at her husband.

This had truly been a night of surprises. Victor’s declaration had left her floored. She thought back to their time in Texas and the many signs she had missed. The extra glances at a boy when they were watching TV together. The attention she should have paid to the way he cringed whenever she had mentioned a girlfriend while Pilar would bring home a parade of boyfriends. How red he would turn whenever she joked about grandchildren.

And yet with Mia, Isabel could tell that her son really cared for the young girl. He seemed so happy. So what had she missed? More importantly, what did her husband see that she had failed to notice? She was his mother after all! And they were so close. Sure, she had missed Pilar’s trickery to get a tongue piercing. But to miss that her son was trying to hide who he was? How self-absorbed was she?

It was her fault for missing this she told herself. If she hadn’t been distracted by Roger and her stupid mistake with him, she would have been there for her son. She would have helped him. Right?

Wrong. She might concede that Pilar could get things past her, but Isabel knew her son. Victor was her stable one. He was her rock. She sighed internally. Of course that was why he couldn’t just tell her. She had put so much pressure on him for so long. And of course that pressure had only intensified with this move. Victor had felt so responsible for holding this family together that he couldn’t bear to add more to her plate. So her son had tried to protect his family and himself by working so hard to hide who he was. And she knew that if Victor was determined enough, nothing would stop him. So no, this wasn't something she had missed because of her affair. But it was something she and Armando had caused by how they raised their children. That much was evident at Victor's party.

_This must have been tearing him apart_. She realized.

But clearly, her son could not keep this secret any longer. And Isabel wanted to know why now. What had finally happened to get him to open up? Did something happen with Mia? Something at the dance? She looked at the clock and realized it was already past midnight. Whatever it was would wait until the morning. Still, there was one answer she _had_ to have now if she had any hope of getting sleep this night.

She turned to look at her husband. A man who she had truly and deeply loved once so long ago and still did now. True, they were going through a rough patch, but she knew in her heart that she still loved him and she desperately wanted to make it work if she could. And not just for Victor, Pilar, and Adrian. She wanted to be Armando’s wife again and she wanted him to be her husband. But she knew things had to be different. Their relationship could _not_ be what it once was. There was no going back. Tonight, her son had taken the first brave step in starting his new journey. Could she do any less?

Armando was sitting at the table now. Isabel realized she had been staring at him for several minutes. Normally, he would have said something. But instead, he sat with a patient smile on his face. She wanted to punch him in the face for that. He does not get to act calm while she is a swirling storm of emotions. That's just not fair.

“What was that Armando?” Isabel finally asked, allowing some of her frustration to creep in. She tossed the dishtowel down on the counter.

“What do you mean?” he asked. His brow was scrunched up. He seemed genuinely thrown by the question.

“Our son just came out to us. And you weren’t angry. You didn’t yell. You just...accepted it”

“Well…yes." He said. "Why wouldn’t I?”

_"Because he's gay! Because your parents are homophobes. Because you make jokes at the expense of gay couples **all the time**. Because of our religion!" _Isabel wanted to scream.

True, she didn't really believe that a gay person was bad or that they were going to hell. When she was younger, perhaps she would have thought that. She shuddered at how the younger Isabel would have reacted had Victor come out to her as a child. She likely would have run to their priest for help and tried to send Victor to some conversion camp. But she was older now. She knew better. She had witnessed first hand how ugly people in Texas could be to gay couples. And she had also met some truly nice people and some really nice gay people as well- especially after she had... 

After she had cheated on her husband, she reminded herself. Still, her mind was whirling. She loved her son. She wasn't sure what else she knew, but she knew she loved her son. That would not change. She **refused** to let that change.

So he was gay. And she was going to have to figure out how to deal with that. He was sixteen now. He had had a girlfriend. He was a smart boy. Clearly, he had come to this decision after a lot of thought. Victor wasn't the type to just _do things_ on impulse. That was Pilar and her tongue piercing. No. Victor was thoughtful. Methodical. If he said he was gay, then that was it. He was gay. As for the rest? That was up to Isabel and Armando to figure out she supposed.

Isabel shook her head. “I’m sorry. I mean, I just didn’t expect you to hug him like that. I was so surprised I couldn’t move. How were you able to remain so calm?”

Armando fell silent for a moment and nodded to himself. Then, he raised his head and locked eyes with his wife. She noticed how soft they looked, as they were brimming with tears he seemed to be holding back.

“You saw it though Isabel. You had to have seen it. Amor- I saw it. The _weight_ our son has been carrying for so long. The _weight_ that has made him so miserable. The _weight_ that I put on him. That you put on him. That my parents put on him-” At this, Armando’s voice cracked and a single tear escaped. “-it’s gone mi amor. Our son is relieved of his burden.”

He looked back at his wife, the tears now flowing slowly down his cheeks. “Our son is happy”

He stood up slowly and walked towards the kitchen island where Isabel remained fixed to her spot. He reached down and took her hands into his own. “How could I _not_ be proud of him for admitting what makes him happy? After everything that has happened to this family over this past year, if we have learned anything, it's that we should be happy when others are happy."

At this, Isabel felt her own cheeks grow wet as tears started flowing. He wasn't just referring to Victor. This was also an apology for how he had reacted when she wanted to resume piano lessons because she enjoyed teaching piano. For her husband, this was a monumental step. “Armando-” she said. He swiftly walked around the island and wrapped his wife in a warm embrace.

They held each other like that for several minutes. True, their relationship had changed. But love was still present. And at that moment, Isabel could not be more in love with her husband. She could not be more proud of him. Nor could she be more surprised.

Armando’s arms relaxed and the two separated, taking a moment to wipe their tears away with a nervous laugh. Then he again took her hands in his own.

“Isabel, I-this is all new to me.” He looked at her annoyed expression and quickly corrected himself, “To **us.** I don’t fully get it, but I know Victor needs us to be supportive. And whether or not we approve at the moment doesn't matter. He _needs_ our approval.”

Isabel nodded. Armando was absolutely right about that. He didn't show it in the way other children did, but Victor was a child who craved the approval of his family. If they tried to push back, they could very well lose him. She shuddered at that thought. The idea of her son feeling like an outcast from his own family and trying to run away. And then she started to think about how his friends would react. How his classmates would react. It was hard enough to deal with family, but an entire school full of teenagers? Isabel knew how cruel that could be.

She so desperately wanted to protect her children from the world. But they were older now and she knew she couldn’t protect them from everything. Just like she couldn’t protect them from her affair. Her husband was right. While they would have to deal with their feelings on this matter sooner than later for the health of their own marriage and the family, their priority had to be making sure that Victor was okay and that he knew he was loved. She couldn’t control what happened outside of the apartment, but she could damn sure try and control what happened _inside_ of it. Armando interrupted her thoughts.

“I found an apartment on Felix’s floor. In exchange for a few more hours, the landlord has agreed to give it to me while you and I... take a break.” He squeezed Isabel’s hands. He wasn’t giving up on them, but he knew this was the best thing. And he knew there was one more thing he had to do.

“I want Victor to live with me.” he said. “If he wants to.” He paused to let this sink in.

Isabel nodded, allowing her husband to continue his thought.

“I...said some things… that I’m not...proud of…” he winced as he remembered the conversation he had had with his oldest boy on the day of his sixteenth birthday. He remembered the look on his son’s face when he had talked about how he felt about Victor's friend and his _band mate_. He had meant it of course. What business of his was it? And if he had only left it at that. But he had to mention Tito’s comment about Adrian...

Armando sighed. He wished he could take it back. He realized now that this one comment had likely torn at his son's heart. He inwardly cursed himself for all the times he had made an insensitive or off color remark. No, not off color. Call it what it was: Homophobic. Armando may be trying to evolve, but in order to do so he realized, he had to acknowledge that his behavior was homophobic. And that was toxic and hurtful to his son. His heart ached as he realized just how many terrible things he had said in front of his son and his daughter. He hadn't realized until tonight just how much he had probably hurt his son. He knew that it was this hurt and this fear of disappointing his family that had caused Victor to deny this part of himself for this long. 

Memories flashed through his mind as he realized all the signs that he and his wife had missed. Victor had been so focused on being the good son and on holding things together that they had taken advantage of him unknowingly. And they had forced him to deny this part of himself - unconsciously sure, but he could not deny his comments and the family's religious beliefs had played a part. Armando grew angry with himself. He had to be better. He _would_ be better. For Victor. For Pilar and Adrian. For Isabel. He owed it to them.

Isabel looked back at Armando, waiting for him to continue. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I want to make it up to him. I want him to see that I care. I can’t abandon him now.”

He moved towards the sink and looked out the window before turning back to his wife.

“And this would be good for you as well. Pilar and you need time to work on your relationship. And we would only be one floor up if you need us. It’s not like Victor can’t spend time at either apartment if he chooses.”

Isabel nodded. She understood her husband’s request. And she agreed. She and Victor always had a special relationship. But a boy needed his father too. And if Armando wanted this, she wanted to support him. She would find other ways to make sure Victor knew she still loved him. But for now, maybe a change of scenery wouldn’t be bad. And if he was closer to Felix, perhaps that would help both boys out.

“We’ll give him the choice tomorrow.” she said. She walked over to the wall by the dining room table and flipped the light switch. Aside from a small light over the sink, the apartment was dark.

“Let’s go to bed Armando. I am so tired.”

Her husband nodded and extended his hand to his wife. Yes, they may be estranged, but tonight, they felt closer than they had in years. She took his hand and they walked slowly out of the kitchen and down the hallway to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Victor's parents still have a lot to process. Breakfast should be interesting.
> 
> Thank you all for your kind comments. It's very much appreciated.


	3. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most awkward breakfast conversation of Victor's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for any typos in advance. While I do type these chapters the day prior, I continue to read and revise right up until posting so sometimes I miss things after looking at the same chapter for so long. As I see typos, I will continue trying to correct them.

Victor awoke early in the morning. For the first time that he could remember since his family had moved into the apartment, he had slept great. The only other time he had slept this well recently was when he was in New York with Bram, Justin, Ivy, and Kim. He had felt safe there. He was able to be who he was when he was with them. Victor rubbed his eyes and lay in bed for a few moments, thinking back to the strange events of the previous night.

As he started to wake up, a flurry of emotions hit him. Guilt over causing Derek and Benji to fight. Relief after Benji explained why he had dumped Derek and the feeling of their kiss…

And then Mia’s hurt reaction and Pilar’s anger. And telling his parents. And then his father’s hug. And Pilar and Mami’s acceptance. And Mia’s. And then his message to Simon.

Simon. Victor rolled to his side and reached for his phone on his bedside table. Sure enough, Simon had written him back.

_Victor-_

_Sounds like an eventful evening! I’m glad you and Mia were able to talk and that she said she will forgive you. Remember to respect her request for time. She may need more than you’d like._

_Amazing news about Benji! Bram sends his love and congrats as well. Everybody here does. But don’t feel like you have to rush things ok? Everyone moves at their own pace. Make sure that you and Benji are on the same page about that. It’s ok not to be ready for some of these changes. But as last night showed, the truth has a way of coming out._

_Speaking of that, I am so proud of you for telling your family. And I am so sorry about your parents separating. But maybe this will all be for the best. With everything out in the open, you and your family can finally heal without any more secrets. It sounds like that is what your parents want and I think that’s what you want too._

_Also, Bram just showed me the Creeksecrets post of your pal Felix and his new girlfriend Lake. Good to see that big gestures of love didn’t end with us! It seems like everyone is starting down a new path and hopefully it all works out._

_But if it doesn’t, or you need help, remember what I told you in New York. You’re a part of a community. Bram, Ivy, Justin, Kim, and I are all here for you. I was fortunate that my family was so accepting when I came out and I am so glad that your family is trying to do the same. But even with my family it was still hard. So don’t feel like you have to do this alone. If you need us, we’re here for you._

_Good Luck!_

_Love,_

_Simon_

Victor reread the message one more time. He was so grateful that Simon hadn’t blown him off after that first angry message he had sent. Without Simon to guide him, would he still be lying to himself and to Mia? Without that trip to New York, would he have been brave enough to come out to his family last night?

He honestly didn’t know. Victor thought back to his time in Texas. He doubted he would ever have come out had they stayed. True, Georgia wasn’t New York, but it was still much more accepting. And thanks to Simon and Bram, that trail had already been blazed. Victor was able to follow along in their path.

His phone chimed, stirring him from his thoughts. He glanced over and saw that it was a text from Benji.

_Just checking in like we said we would._ 😊 

It was a simple text. No sign of any flirting or love. Victor felt his face growing hot. Benji did not even feel comfortable expressing his feelings fully in a text because Victor was so uncomfortable about being out in public.

He was going to change that. Starting now.

_Morning, I told my family Iast night that I’m gay. Also, that was after my parents told us they were temporarily separating. We’re talking more at breakfast, but they told me they were proud of me and they loved me._

He pushed send and began typing again.

_Also, I talked with Mia. She’s angry. But she forgave me._

There. Now it’s out. Victor smiled to himself. It was a small victory, but he wasn’t going to start a relationship with Benji the way he did with Mia. No more lying. No more secrets.

Victor eyed the three grey dots as they furiously moved on his screen. Benji was responding and clearly had a lot to say.

_Wow. Ok. That’s a lot. How are you doing? I’m really proud of you Victor. Let me know how your talk with your parents goes. I’m here if you need anything._

As Victor read this, the same dots appeared again as Benji continued. This time, there were hearts after the text.

_If you are up to it after your talk, text me. I’d like to take you out on a proper date tonight._ ♡

Victor smiled. He quickly wrote back. Victor made sure to add his own heart emoji to the text and pressed send.

_I would love to go out tonight. I will let you know how things go._ ♡

He looked at his clock and saw that it was nearly 10am. His parents and Pilar were surely up by now. And they were likely waiting on him.

He took a deep breath and let it out. No matter what happens, he told himself, he’d done it. It was out there now. Whatever came next, he would deal with it. He stood up and put on his slippers. He walked over to his mirror and tried his best to fix his hair. He found himself nervously smoothing his t-shirt and pajama pants, anything to buy him more time. Finally, when he could find nothing else to try and fix, he walked over to the door and slowly turned the knob.

He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway. He could hear his mother and father talking quietly. He did not hear Pilar or Adrian however. And for a Saturday morning, that was a bit unusual. Normally there would be cartoons on.

Victor walked down the hall slowly, realizing that his heart was again pounding out of his chest just like the night prior. As he entered the dining room, he saw only his parents. They both looked up at him with soft smiles.

“Good Morning mijo” Armando said.

“Morning mi amor” Isabel added. She rose to pull a chair out for Victor. A plate and a glass of Orange Juice were already set out. In the center of the table was every breakfast food Victor loved. When his mother had said she would make his favorite, she apparently thought that was _everything_. A stack of pancakes were laid out on one plate, scrambled eggs were on another. Crispy bacon was on another plate- though there was far less of it compared to the other plates. Victor assumed his father had gotten to that. It was well known that Armando loved bacon and eggs.

Victor walked over to the chair and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

“Morning Mami. Papi” he said, looking at his father.

His parents waited for him to sit and let him start to pile food on his plate while they resumed their own meal.

Victor started to eat slowly. He was waiting for a trap to spring. He noticed that his parents were watching him and that their eyes kept darting back to each other, but neither spoke.

“Where’s Pilar?” Victor asked after finishing his pancakes.

“She took Adrian out to the park. She said she’d talk with you later.” Papi answered.

“Oh.” Victor replied. It made sense that Adrian might not be present. But Victor had hoped his sister would be with him. They always had each other’s back and even though her text was short, she made it clear that she still had his back.

Once Victor had finished his breakfast and set down his utensils, he glanced at his parents. He was ready.

“So…” Isabel started to say.

Victor looked down at his lap. He realized his hands were shaking. He placed them on the table to try and steady himself.

His parents noticed it as well and they exchanged a look among themselves before each parent reached out a gentle hand to cover his.

“Victor. Honey” Isabel said.

Victor looked over at his mother and realized that his eyes were already starting to water.

“Hey, son. It’s ok. Nothing about the way your mom and I feel about you has changed.” Armando said. He squeezed his son’s hand.

At this, Victor felt the tears streaking down his cheek.

“You...don’t know… how much… that means” Victor said between sobs.

His mother stood up from her place at the table and bent down, cradling Victor’s head against her chest.

“We meant what we said mi amor. We’re so proud of you. We know this wasn’t easy. And well,...we have a lot of questions.”

“A LOT of questions” Armando added with exaggerated emphasis, causing his son to laugh. Armando smiled as well. He had hoped for that reaction.

“-But we love you and nothing you say is going to change that.” his mother finished in a more serious tone.

She knelt down and took her son’s head into both hands, locking eyes with him. “Ok?”

Victor nodded. With his free hand, since his father was still gripping tight to his left hand, he wiped his eyes and nose with his napkin and started to calm down.

Isabel returned to her seat. “Whenever you’re ready.” she said.

Victor nodded again. He took a deep breath and let it out.

“I think I’ve known for years.” He said. He noticed his parents nodding. Apparently they thought the same. Victor began to wonder if he had truly hidden this as well as he had thought. He put it out of his mind for the moment and continued.

“When we moved here, I had even planned to come out right away. I didn’t want to start my school year off with a lie.”

Isabel and Armando fell silent, their eyes fixed on their oldest son but a clear sense of pain evident in their gaze. They hated that Victor had to go through this at all.

“On my first day, Vice Principal Albright was telling me about the school and she mentioned one of her favorite stories about one of her students. A kid named Simon Spier.”

When Victor looked at both of his parents, he realized they had no idea who Simon was and were waiting for him to elaborate. Evidently the man, the myth, the legend only extends as far as Creekwood High lore and not much further. 

_Sorry Simon_. Victor thought.

“Simon had come out in a grand gesture at the Winter carnival by riding a ferris wheel over and over until the boy he had secretly been talking with came and rode the ferris wheel with him. And they kissed in front of the whole school essentially.”

“How romantic” Isabel sighed. It didn’t matter whether straight or gay, Isabel was a sucker for romantic gestures.

Armando nodded in agreement. Once upon a time, he used to perform grand romantic gestures like that for his wife. But that was a long time ago he reflected. Perhaps, that was part of their problem. The passion he had once shown had faded. His son continued speaking and he returned his focus to Victor.

“Yeah, so after she told me this, I really wanted to...you know. But then I met Lake. And she was really nice, but she was posting on Creeksecrets about me being the new kid and she asked and I-”

“Lied.” Armando finished. It wasn’t a criticism. He understood why his son would lie.

“Yeah papi.” Victor lowered his head to his lap for a moment. He wondered if everything would have been different if he had just told Lake and Mia the truth right then.

“So what happened next mijo?” His mother asked, interrupting his negative thoughts. He raised his head and looked from his father to his mother before continuing.

“So, then I kind of… texted Simon Spier and yelled at him for having it be so easy for him to come out to his family and the whole school.” He cringed.

“Victor…” His mother started to say in a concerned and disappointed tone.

“I know mami. It wasn’t my best moment. And I was mean to Felix as well because I was mad at the lie I told. And I knew it so I apologized and then we went to the winter carnival.”

“Right. So did we” Armando said. He remembered seeing his son with Felix and walking around with friends.

“Yeah. And right as we were walking around, Simon Spier texted me back”

“He didn’t!” Isabel exclaimed.

“Yeah. And he was really cool about it. He understood where my anger was coming from and he gave me some good advice. He sort of became my guru after that.” Victor said. He smiled at the memory.

Armando just nodded. He wasn’t sure how he felt about another man advising his son about this subject, but he also knew that he was absolutely clueless about it. So, perhaps it was better to get advice from someone who had been through what his son was going through.

“Anyway, at that point I still wasn’t sure what to do. And I was feeling conflicting feelings. I had just met Mia and I really liked her. And I also had met Benji and I felt attracted to him too. And then you told me I needed a job to pay for basketball so I applied at Brasstown because I saw they were hiring.” Victor was rambling now. His parents tried to follow along, but he could tell they were confused about the order of events.

“So, I started work at Brasstown and then I started dating Mia. And as I was dating Mia, I started to...feel things for Benji.”

“Benji was your friend from your birthday party right?” Isabel asked.

Victor winced at the use of the word _friend,_ but just nodded. He’d get to that.

Armando also nodded. He remembered Benji and how Victor had reacted when he had introduced Benji and Derek as his _bandmate_ and then Tito had seen the two kissing. A lot of things were starting to make sense.

“So, Benji was really cool. And he was so easy to talk to. And we got along great at work." He noticed that both of his parents were watching him intently. He realized it was because of how wide he was smiling describing their time together. He was so happy that he was with Benji and he simply could not hide it. His smile faltered however as he recalled what happened next.

"And then the coffee machine broke and we had to go take a trip to get it repaired.”

“That was the day of Mia’s father’s party right?” Armando asked. He remembered that his son ended up having to sleep overnight at a hotel because the machine wasn’t ready. And as a result, he had missed the party.

Victor nodded slowly. He took a deep breath. 

_Here goes…_ he thought.

“So...the machine was actually ready that day. But, Benji had just told me that our boss had said to stay overnight if it wasn’t. And he and I were having such a great time, I didn’t want the day to end.”

“You _lied_ to Mia?” Armando said rising from his chair to stand. His disappointment was evident. He knew his son had been taught better. He certainly understood that he was going through a lot, but standing up Mia was cruel and it was not fair to the poor girl. Armando had seen how she had looked at Victor at his party and how she had worked so hard to win over Isabel that day. She was a nice girl and it made him angry that his son would mistreat her in that way. A light bulb went off in his head. He realized why he had felt so strongly about Victor's lie. Because _he_ had been where Mia was at one time. He had been lied to by _his_ wife. He forced his expression to remain neutral and sat back down, gesturing for his son to continue.

Victor had his head lowered slightly but nodded again. He was not proud of this and he could tell how much he had disappointed his father. “I told her the truth on the phone last night” he added. He was sure his parents were going to ask if she knew. Better to just get ahead of it.

“So Mia knows that you’re gay” Isabel said. 

Victor blinked. It was the first time either of his parents had acknowledged it out loud. And while he could tell his mother was still getting used to it, she didn’t trip over the word either.

“Yes. She does. But she found out earlier because she saw me kissing Benji last night.” he paused as he saw both of his parents take this in. While they were trying to remain calm, he could tell that this was a lot to absorb and their eyes widened when he mentioned the kiss. His mother tried to hide her facial expression by taking a sip of coffee at that moment, but Victor could tell that both parents were very disappointed with how he had treated Mia. And they were right to be. He knew that. And he felt the same way. And he would find a way to make it up to Mia-even if it took the rest of his life to do it. He took a deep breath and continued.

“But going back to the trip,” Victor said, and he took another deep breath. His father squeezed his hand again. “Benji and I shared a hotel room and we got to talking. And I-”

“You didn’t have sex?” Isabel blurted out. 

She was learning that she could deal with a lot, but if her son had cheated on Mia the way she had cheated on Armando, she wasn't sure she could take it. It was bad enough that he had lied to Mia like she had lied to her husband, but if he had had sex with another person behind her back... 

“No mami!” Victor exclaimed, almost jumping out of his seat. He took a moment to compose himself and let out a breath. “I...I kissed him”

Isabel let out a sigh of relief. As did Armando.

Victor looked at both of them with indignation. “I _cheated_ on Mia!” he shouted.

Armando nodded. “Yes mijo. You did. And I’m very disappointed. I know we raised you to be better than that." He paused to let that sink in. His son nodded, acknowledging he had heard him. Armando continued, "At the same time, I realize that your mother and I are that last ones who should judge you for cheating. But compared to what could have happened, it could have been so much worse.”

Isabel cringed as Armando referenced her affair with Roger, but she agreed. “What your father means is that sex is such a big step and-”

“I know. Mia and I nearly did and I wasn’t ready. I’m still not ready”

Isabel let out another sigh and Victor glared at her. He was sixteen now! How young were they when they were first active? He cringed. He didn't want to think about that right now. Or ever again.

She patted his hand. “Sorry mi amor. It’s just, you’re still so young!”

“What happened after you kissed Benji Victor?” his father interjected.

Victor looked at his father, grateful for the rescue. He was not prepared for another birds and the bees talk today.

“He stopped me. He was dating Derek and I was dating Mia. I apologized and left the room. We didn’t talk the whole ride back. And then he applied for a transfer.”

“Oh honey...” his mother said.

“It’s ok mami. We’re good now. But there’s something else”

“What Victor?” Armando asked. Victor again saw the concern in his parents eyes.

“I’m sorry. I lied to both of you. I was so upset after what happened with Benji. I just… I needed help.”

“Help?” his mother repeated, unsure what he meant.

“Advice. I needed to speak to Simon. In person.” 

“Your basketball trip.” Armando replied. His eyes darkened at this. His son had lied to him about going on a school trip. How many lies had Victor told them? How many lies had this family told each other this year? This had to stop. He exhaled loudly and his shoulders slumped. It was not even noon yet and he was exhausted.

“Yes, papi. I’m so sorry. It was crazy. But I just didn’t know what else to do.” Victor was doing his best now to hold back tears. He hated to disappoint his parents like this. But he couldn’t keep any secrets from them. He couldn’t live like that anymore. 

Isabel sat back a little in her chair. Armando was rubbing his bearded jaw. He wasn’t pleased that his son had lied to them about his whereabouts. But that was the least of his concerns right now. He would deal with any consequences later. And there would be consequences.

“Where did you go?” He asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm and steady when inwardly he felt very different.

“New York City” Victor answered. “Simon was out of town, but he had his boyfriend Bram meet me.”

“He wasn’t even there?” Isabel asked, annoyed that her son had gone through all the effort of lying to them only for Simon not to be there. The nerve!

“I...didn't actually tell him I was coming until I was on the bus. He had a cousin’s bachelor party. But he left early to get back to see me. Bram and their roommates took care of me. They showed me the city and the different types of people in the community.”

“And?” his father asked.

“Papi, I never felt so sure that I belonged." Victor was smiling again at the memory and his parents noticed how his face lit up as he continued. "I felt like I finally knew who I was. And they were all so nice. Bram and I played basketball against some gay NBA players. And they took me to a drag bar. They wanted me to understand that just like being straight, there are many different types of gay.”

Victor’s mother was silent. He noticed that, just like the previous night, her eyes were again moving around the room trying to process everything he was saying. He glanced at his father who was likewise trying to remain calm while processing all of this information. Maybe mentioning the drag show was too much Victor thought. But he was too far now. He continued.

“Simon explained to me that when I started texting him, he was really worried about the advice he was giving me. He hadn’t been in my shoes exactly. But between everyone in his apartment, each of his roommates had a story similar to mine in some way. So they worked together to help me. Simon said that there is a whole community willing to support me. And I really felt like, for the first time, I belonged.”

“Simon sounds like a great guy” His father said. And he meant it. Anyone who was able to be there for his son when he could not had his gratitude.

“He is papi. They all are.” Victor smiled. He pulled out his phone and opened up his pictures. He pulled up his photos from New York and passed his phone to his mother.

“That’s them.” he said. 

Isabel gingerly took the phone and looked at the photos. She saw several people all smiling but her eyes were fixated on the smile on her son’s face. When had she last seen him that happy? Not for a long time. Again, she found her eyes getting wet and she wiped at them with her fingertips. She passed the phone to her husband so he could look.

“I’m glad you had a good time Victor” She said, “But you should have told us where you were going.”

Victor nodded. “I know mami. And I’m sorry. It was just that I was so upset after Benji, I couldn’t even bring myself to talk about it to anyone except them.”

Armando handed the phone back to his son and sighed. Victor wouldn’t say it, but part of why he was so uncomfortable was due to the environment Armando and his wife had created. Ever since they had moved, they had gotten into disagreements and were yelling at one another or offering a harsh word or criticism. Pilar had called them out on it and she was right. It was bad enough what they had done to themselves, but to harm their kids so much that one didn’t feel safe enough to open up to them really hurt. 

“Anyway” Victor continued, “When I got back, I worked up the nerve to tell Felix the truth. He was the first person that I came out to outside of Simon and his roommates.” Victor looked over at his mother.

“How did that go?” she asked.

“It was terrifying for me! I couldn’t even look him in the eye. When it was over, he just hugged me. He’s my best friend mami. He’s been so supportive. I don't know what I would have done without him.”

“He’s a good boy.” Isabel agreed. 

“He is. A little strange. But clearly a good friend to have.” Armando added. In truth, he had started to look at Felix as another son- especially with how often he hung around the house. He was relieved that the boy had been there for his son. That was the mark of a true friend. He said a silent prayer thanking the Lord for bringing Felix and Simon into Victor's life at a time when he and his wife could not be there for him.

“Yeah. And then I was going to tell Mia. But then stuff kept happening. The night I was gonna tell her, she found her dad’s girlfriend was pregnant and that they were getting married.”

“Yikes.” Isabel exclaimed and Victor laughed. It was true. He had had some of the worst luck when it came to trying to come out to people.

“So, then I decided I would tell her after the dance. I was going to tell her today in fact.” He sighed and looked at both his parents, again embarrassed of how much he had hurt Mia.

“Benji and I spoke and he forgave me after reading the note I had written him. But, Pilar somehow saw the note and saw that I had kissed someone named B’ “

“Benji” Armando said. It was obviously him.

“Right. But Pilar though B was a girl-”

His father nodded. He understood now.

“So he interrogated Benji in front of Derek. And Derek was able to put it together.”

“It sounds like _quite_ the dance.” his mother observed.

“Yeah mami. It was certainly unforgettable. So I saw Derek and Benji fighting and I apologized to Derek and explained it was all my fault and that he shouldn’t take it out on Benji because Benji is amazing and a super loyal boyfriend to him.” Victor paused to catch his breath. He took a sip of orange juice and then continued.

“And then Benji broke up with Derek and he came to talk to me and we talked and we...kissed." He exhaled and sat back in his chair.

His father finished the story. “And Mia saw. Ok, I think we’re all caught up now Victor.” He too sat back in his chair and let out a breath. He glanced across the table at his wife, silently asking who should speak first.

“It’s….a lot Victor” his mother said after a moment throwing up her hands for emphasis. “We just need a few minutes to process this. Ok?”

Victor looked at both his parents and then nodded. It was a lot for him. It was interesting to see what others thought.

Armando broke the silence first.

“So, given that you kissed and patched things up with him, are you and Benji dating now?” his father asked.

“We are papi. He wants to take me out for our first date tonight.”

“Aww” Isabel sighed. Her husband chuckled at his wife’s reaction. He continued reviewing the facts.

“And Mia and Felix both know. And Benji and Derek obviously. Is there anyone else?” he asked.

“Andrew overheard Benji and me talking. But he promised not to tell anyone. And he left with Mia. She said he was there for her after she found out last night. So he won’t tell anyone.”

His father blew out a breath and sat up in his chair. He'd only met Andrew once. He seemed like a typical rich Creekwood student. Star basketball player. Handsome. Popular. And he had leverage over his son. But, Victor seemed to trust that he wouldn't use it.

“Ok, so what’s the plan?” he asked.

“Papi?”

“Are you fully, what’s the word? ‘Out’ now?” he asked.

“Only to you and my friends” Victor replied. “But, yeah. I plan to come out to everyone very soon.”

“You know that won’t be easy Victor.” Armando said. He hated having to say this, but he knew all about intolerance. It was bad enough that his family had to deal with racism and classism, but now his son would have to deal with homophobia as well.

“I know papi. But I have to be true to myself.” his son answered.

“My brave boy.” his mother whispered. She stretched her arm and rested her hand on Victor’s right hand with a reassuring tap.

“This is very brave mijo. And your mother and I are sorry for whatever part we played in making you think you couldn’t talk to us about how you were feeling. We want to do better for you and your siblings.” his father said.

“Thank you papi” 

"But, we are not ok with you lying to us." He looked over at Isabel.

"You can go on your date tonight. But you need to be home by curfew. And for the rest of this week, it's school, work, basketball and home." she said. She exchanged another unspoken look with her husband and he winked.

"However" she added, "Benji and Felix will be allowed to visit until 10pm. But no going out."

"And, you are going to pay us back for that trip by watching Adrian for us for the next month. No pawning him off on your sister." Armando added.

Victor looked at both his parents. Was that it? Really? He had expected far worse. As if in answer to that question, his mother added

"But if you **_ever_** do something like this again without telling us Victor..." her eyes darkened and her voice was as hard as steel. Victor did not want to know what happened next.

"I won't. I promise. If I ever have an invite to New York or anywhere out of state, I will clear it with you first." Victor looked at both his parents and they gave him a satisfied nod. They did not elaborate on what terrible fate would

await him if he dared to lie to them again. And Victor made a mental note to make sure he _never_ found out.

Armando looked at his wife and continued speaking. “Your mother and I were talking late into the night. We are still separating as we told you last night.”

Victor nodded. His head was down again. He had almost forgotten that bit of news with how in sync they had been this morning.

“I managed to get an apartment on Felix’s floor. I have to work a few more shifts, but it won’t cost us anything extra.” Armando continued.

Victor perked up at this news. He didn’t realize his father would be so close.

“Your father would like you to live with him primarily mijo” Isabel said. She stood up and walked over to Armando. She placed a hand on his left shoulder which her husband took and squeezed. He looked back at his son.

“I want to do better Victor. I want to be there to support you. If you’ll let me.” he said.

Before he could ask any questions, his mother was quick to chime in “And you will still have your room here of course. And you can come and go as much as you want. We just feel this would give you two some time together and allow me and your sister some time to bond as well.”

Victor honestly didn’t know what to say.

“And Benji would be welcome at both places.” his father added. “And you’ll be closer to Felix.”

Victor snorted. He wasn’t sure if being closer to Felix was really a plus for him so much as it was for Felix. Now he wouldn’t even have to come down the stairs to enter.

“Okay Papi. Mami. Let’s try it.”

His parents smiled. “Okay.”

Isabel returned to her seat and Victor waited to see what else she had to say.

“Mijo, this is going to be an adjustment for everyone. We’re going to make mistakes” she warned, “so please be patient with us.”

Victor nodded. This time he placed his hands on top of his parents and squeezed.

“Of course mami.” 

Isabel sighed. “I just wish I had my own guru like you do with Simon.”

Armando nodded in agreement. His mind was still trying to comprehend everything his son had told them.

“Unfortunately mijo, there aren’t any parents we know who have been through this.” he confessed.

Victor looked at both his parents and realization dawned on him immediately.

“I think I can help with that papi” Victor said.

His parents both looked at him with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"How?" his father asked.

****

_Dear Simon,_

_The talk with my parents went well. It was awkward at first, but we got through it. I wanted to thank you for your offer of support. I am writing to you with the hope that this offer applies to my parents as well._

_They admit to being, well, lost. And so I was wondering if, maybe, your parents would be willing to sit down with them and talk? It would really help them to speak with parents who have been through this. Do you think they would do it?_

_Benji is taking me on my first date tonight. I’m excited, but really nervous. And I still haven’t yet talked to my sister. And we still need to figure out how we’re going to explain all this to my brother. There's a lot still to do, but after today, I know I can count on my parents to help me get through this._

_-Victor_

*****

_Victor-_

_I'm so glad to hear that your talk with your parents went well. I know they are going through their own struggles, but it's clear from what you've shared that you can reach out to them now and I hope you do. Not that I'm not still here for you, but sometimes you just need your parents. You and I are the lucky few who are able to have a positive and loving relationship with our parents. Sadly, that is rare for many others. Treasure it._

_Good Luck on your first date tonight. Justin, Kim and Ivy want you to text after with, in their words, "all the deets!" - Don't feel you like you have to though. Remember what I said about going at your own pace._

_In regards to your request: As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for._

_I had barely finished explaining the situation to my parents before my mom was asking for your address. I think I’ve managed to hold her off for a few more hours, but you may want to let your parents know to expect a VERY open, petite woman with brown hair and her husband who means well, but puts his foot in his mouth quite a bit, at your door within the hour if they don't contact her soon. She was already trying to find your address when I hung up. Bram is still laughing. If he doesn't stop soon, I'm going to punch him. Hard. It's not that funny._

_Attached is my mom's phone number._

_Since this is usually where I would give you advice, here it is: **Run**. _

_Love,_

_Simon_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. I aim to keep updating nightly. As always, your comments are appreciated.


	4. Un Gran Amigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Felix to Victor. Over"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind words and notes. Again, please forgive any typos and let me know in the comments so I may correct.

Freshly showered, Victor walked into his room and proceeded to get dressed. He glanced over at his phone and noticed that it was just past noon and that Simon had already responded to his last message. He opened the message and read the latest advice from his guru. And then he broke into a fit of laughter. 

The sound of laughter continued for several minutes. It was so loud that Victor’s parents eventually decided they had to make sure their son was ok. The knock on his open door finally pulled Victor out of his giggle fit and he wiped the tears from his eyes.

“What’s so funny flaco?” Armando inquired.

“Simon wrote back. His parents are _definitely_ up for talking. But you may want to call them soon.” Victor said, handing his phone to his mother and stifling another fit of laughter.

Isabel cautiously took the phone and read Simon’s reply. “Oh no. No!” she said with a chuckle. 

She handed the phone to her husband who read it quickly and let out a low whistle.

“Well, you did ask for it.” he reminded his wife.

“Yes, but not this soon. I thought maybe in a week or a month! I haven’t had time to clean the apartment.”

“Simon said he was holding them off. But he did give me their number. Maybe it would be best if you just called them?” Victor suggested with a shrug. “Preferably before Pilar returns with Adrian.”

His parents exchanged a look and then nodded. They were doing this. Today. Isabel withdrew her cell phone.

“Okay, what’s the number?”

Victor handed her his phone with the information and watched as his mother nervously entered the digits into her phone. She let out a breath and turned to her husband.

“Here we go...”

She pressed the call button and listened as the phone began to ring. It barely managed to make it through the first ring before it was picked up. Simon hadn’t been kidding. His mother must have been waiting for their call.

A woman’s voice immediately answered “Hello, this is Emily Spier.”

“Um hello. My name is Isabel Sal-”

“Yes! Isabel! I’m so glad you called! My son told me and Jack, my husband, about what’s going on. I know this must be a lot for you to process.”

“Y-yes it is-”

“-If you’re okay with it, Jack and I could be over at your place within the hour. He and I can stop and grab some coffee and answer whatever we can for you. Our schedule is wide open. How does that sound?”

Isabel looked over at Armando who shrugged. It was up to her.

“T-That will work for us. Let me text you the address-”

“Thank you. Simon refused to tell me. I think he thought I’d run right over and break your door down-” 

“Because you wou- _OOF!_ ” Jack Spier’s voice came from the background.

“What was that dear? He’s such a kidder.” Emily replied. Isabel was sure she heard Emily’s husband let out a groan in the background.

“Uh, Thank you Emily. My husband and I really appreciate you doing this.”

“Not a problem at all! I don’t know if Simon told Victor, but I’m a child psychologist and even for me, it was a lot to take in when Simon came out to us. So I’ve been where you are and I get it. And if Jack and I can help you and your husband, we’re happy to pay it forward.”

“O-Ok. See you soon.” 

“Bye bye.” 

Isabel touched the end button on her phone and hung up.

Armando blew out a breath he had been holding since the start of the conversation.

“Ok then” he said. That was it. This was happening. The Spiers were on their way.

Isabel spun around to face her husband and son and began to issue marching orders. 

“Armando, you dust the kitchen and dining room. Victor, I need you to vacuum the living room. I’ll take the bathroom.”

“Honey-” Armando started to say.

His wife silenced him with a look. She was not going to welcome the Spiers into what she deemed as an unclean home. 

“Yes Mami.” Victor said, standing up and heading to retrieve the vacuum.

Armando nodded and headed toward the kitchen to clean a space he had _just_ cleaned less than an hour earlier after breakfast had ended.

He retrieved his phone from his pant pocket and sent a text to his daughter.

“ _ Can you keep Adrian out a little longer? We have guests coming over and it might be a while. Do you have money to take him for a movie and ice cream? _ ”

He waited as grey dots appeared and Pilar wrote back. “ _ Got it Papi. I have enough. Just text me when we can head back. Adrian is starting to wonder what’s going on... _ ”

He quickly typed a reply “ _ Thank you mija. Will let you know. _ ”

He sighed. He still had no idea how they were going to explain this to his youngest son. Selfishly, he was grateful that Victor wanted to come out to his school. That would be one less bit of pressure to put on Adrian. He did not feel comfortable asking anyone in his family to keep secrets. Not after what that had done to all of them over the past year. If this day had taught them anything, it was that secrets in a family were poison.

Which meant of course, that someone would have to tell his parents. And it probably should be him. He looked around the kitchen and retrieved a clean rag to start dusting. As he polished the table, he continued thinking.

It was good that the Spiers were coming. Maybe they had experience dealing with homophobic family members. He would have to talk to Victor about this of course. It was his decision who he was going to come out to and how, but he did not look forward to how the talk with his parents would go- especially after Victor’s party.

So as long as Victor was willing, Armando would take that particular bullet for his son and for Isabel. It was one thing he could do.

He finished cleaning and proceeded into the living room to see Victor finish up his assignment. Victor was standing next to the vacuum and his eyes were wandering around the room. 

Armando placed a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder and he felt his son relax. That was good. For too long, he realized, his oldest tensed up every time he entered the room. At least his son knew he could depend on him now. It gave Armando hope that he could repair his family. That they could come out of all of this stronger than ever.

“What are you thinking mijo?”

“Just… so much is happening so quickly Papi.” Victor admitted. 

Once he had made the decision to come out, it felt like the floodgates had opened.

He squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Yes, it is. And if it gets to be too much, you have to let your mother and I know.” He turned to look his son in the eyes. “Ok?”

Victor nodded. “I promise Papi. No more secrets.”

Armando patted his son on the back. That was good enough for him.

“Hey, why don’t you go check in with Benji about your date tonight?” He suggested.

Victor’s face lit up and he nodded before grabbing the vacuum. His father put out a hand and gently stopped him.

“I’ll put it away. You go.” 

Victor smiled. And again Armando’s heart leapt. He could see just how happy this boy made his son and he could not help but be happy for him. True, this was still very odd for him. But was it really so different from how Victor had felt when he first dated Mia? Or Pilar and her boyfriend back in Texas? Love was love right? Armando felt like a light bulb had turned on in his head. Maybe he was starting to understand this whole gay thing after all.

His oldest thanked his father and walked back to his room. Armando noticed that Victor just barely resisted the urge to break into a run and he found himself smiling as well.

Armando picked up the vacuum and proceeded to store it in the nearby closet. Moving some coats aside, he placed the vacuum to the back of the closet and shut the door. Then he continued down the hallway to the check on his wife.

Isabel had finished scrubbing the bathroom down and was applying makeup in front of the mirror. He noticed that she had changed her outfit to something a bit less casual. She had a black blouse on with navy pants and she had put on some of her nicer jewelry. Clearly, she wanted to impress Simon’s parents.

“Everything is clean amor.” he reported.

Isabel looked over at Armando and nodded before returning to the mirror. She spoke without looking at him as she started to apply eyeliner.

“You’re not wearing that. I laid out an outfit on the bed. Go shower quick and get changed.”

Normally, Armando might protest. But he knew that today of all days that would just end badly for him. He simply said “Si amor.” and headed down to their bedroom.

As he passed by, he could hear laughter from his son’s room. Again, Armando felt his heart grow warm.

Breakfast had been difficult. There was no doubt about that. But his son had not held back. And now that it was all out there, everything seemed easier to Armando. He felt like he and his wife were on the same wavelength again. Or at least, just for that conversation. Which meant, he hoped, that there was a chance that this separation would allow them to truly work on their marriage. There was a chance still of saving what they had. And that filled Armando with more hope than he had felt when they first decided to leave Texas after he had pulverized Roger.

He felt a phantom pain in his knuckles. Though they had long since healed, he vividly remembered the blows he had landed. He had acted like an animal that day. It was a miracle he hadn’t killed the man. Luckily (for Roger) his co-workers had stopped him from doing just that.

Now Armando only felt guilt about his actions. But the anger that he had felt that day and had carried with him for so long seemed to be gone. In a strange way, Victor’s decision to tell his truth had freed Armando and Isabel from the feelings they had been carrying for so long. Whether that would be enough, he couldn’t say yet. But it was a starting point.

He made his way to the bedroom and shut the door. On the bed lay the outfit his wife had chosen. A button down deep blue shirt, black pants, and a black belt to match. Nothing too fancy, but a step up from the flannel shirt, t-shirt, and jeans he was currently wearing.

He sighed and grabbed the outfit, heading to the bathroom to shower quickly before the Spiers arrived.

***

_ B- The talk went well. We have some guests coming over but my parents said I can meet you tonight. After tonight though, I’m grounded for the rest of the week- I’ll explain when I see you. It’s deserved though. _

Benji had clearly been waiting for a reply as Victor didn’t even see the dots for more than a second before the other boy replied.

_ Vic- What did you do?! LOL Ok. Meet me at Brasstown at 7pm. What time do you need to be home by?  _

_ Midnight. Is that enough time?  _

Again, Benji was quick to reply

_ Plenty. See you at 7.  _ ❤️

Victor sighed, again finding himself unable to stop smiling. He was going on a date with Benji. Benji and he were dating officially. It sounded so natural the more he thought about it. He began to wonder how he had ever tried to pretend to be straight for so long. He had been so miserable without ever realizing it. It felt like a missing piece of himself had been inserted into the puzzle of his life and now he was complete.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the walkie talkie on his nightstand going off.

“Felix to Victor. Over.”

Victor reached over and grabbed the walkie. “Hey Felix. Victor here. Over.”

“Hey man. Everything ok? Over.”

“Never been better Felix. Over.”

Victor waited for Felix to say something else. But the walkie fell silent. He pressed the button.

“Felix? You there? Over.”

In answer, Victor heard a knock at the door. Well, not just any knock. Felix’s knock.

Victor jumped up and ran out of his room. By the time he got to the door, his mother had already beaten him to it.

“Hi Mrs. Salaz-” before Felix could finish, Isabel had yanked the startled boy into a hug.

“Thank you for being a true friend to my son.” She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then turned to let him pass.

Felix, clearly very confused, and possibly a little scared, simply nodded and walked over to Victor.

“Hey man. Let’s go talk” Victor suggested.

Felix nodded and started to follow Victor down the hallway to his room. Armando was coming down the opposite side of hallway, freshly showered. He saw Felix and Victor and his pace quickened slightly.

Felix stopped and extended his hand “Hi Mr. Salaz-” 

And Felix again found himself engulfed in a tight hug.

“You’re a good boy Felix. Eres un gran amigo.” he said. He patted the now very confused boy on the shoulder and moved on down the hallway.

“Your family is certainly very affectionate today.” Felix said, clearly confused.

He turned to Victor and opened his arms. “Are we gonna hug now too?” He joked, a goofy smile on his face.

“Why not?” Victor said with a laugh. He opened his own arms and hugged his best friend.

He held Felix tight for a minute. After that, Felix gently patted Victor’s back.

“Ok, Victor... Buddy... I can’t breathe”

Victor released him and pulled his friend into his room. 

Felix closed the door and looked at Victor. Victor watched as his friend’s facial expressions continued to change. He was clearly trying to figure out what had just happened and how to ask it. Victor decided to just tell him.

“I came out last night to my family Felix.”

“Oooh.” Felix said, his eyes going wide and his mouth forming a long ‘O’ shape before ending with “Wow.”

He looked over his right shoulder back in the direction of where he had last seen Victor’s parents. “How’d they take it?” he indicated with a jerk of his head.

Victor laughed. “Really, really well man. They’ve been so supportive. And I told them everything.”

“Everything?” Felix repeated.

“Yeah man. They know all of it. Also they’re separating.”

“What? Oh man I’m sorry.” He paused and his face scrunched up in confusion. “Wait, it wasn’t because of what you said right?”

Victor shook his head quickly. “No. Actually, I told them I was gay after they told us they were separating.”

Felix’s face again went through several expressions and he found himself walking past Victor and sitting on the edge of his bed, very confused.

Victor just laughed. He stood there looking down at his friend as Felix tried to process what exactly was going on.

“You’re taking this really well man.” Felix said. His tone of voice indicated he was a bit worried. Perhaps his friend had had a small break with reality over all of this? If so, Felix couldn’t blame him. 

“It’s strange Felix. I should be upset, but I’m not. Because-”

Victor shrugged and let his arms fall at his sides “Because this is the first time in years that I have felt so close to my parents.”

Felix found himself smiling as well. He could see the visible difference this news had taken on his friend. Victor looked different. In fact, Felix would almost say he was glowing.

Felix blinked as he remembered the previous night. “What about Mia?” he asked. And then he remembered Pilar’s interrogation about ‘B’. He sat up “And Benji?” he whispered.

“Felix, they know about Benji.” Victor said in a normal voice. He meant what he said. He was not hiding anything ever again. If he were asked to keep one more secret, he would explode.

He sat down on the bed next to his best friend. “As for Mia..” he let out a sigh and then looked over at Felix. He wasn’t looking forward to this part. He’d seen how disappointed it had made his parents. He’d seen the hurt in Mia’s eyes and the anger in Andrew’s. But he had to tell Felix. If he didn’t, he’d find out anyway. And that was why secrets were so terrible and not worth keeping.

Felix looked over at Victor. He put a hand on Victor’s knee. “Hey. You can tell me.” he promised.

“After Pilar went to Benji and Derek, they got into a fight. And I tried to defend Benji to Derek. I told him it was all my fault. They went and talked. Benji dumped Derek.”

“He what?” 

“Yeah. Benji told me that they hadn’t been working right for a while. I guess I was sort of the final straw.”

“Oh Victor. Buddy-”

Victor looked over at his friend and he realized how much he needed him. He had managed to hold on to his parents and Mia, the person who had the most rights to never forgive him, had. He only hoped Felix would too.

“Benji came and spoke to me after. And we kissed. And Mia saw us.”

Felix’s face dropped. 

For several seconds, Victor studied his best friend. He could tell that Felix wanted to say something but he was silent. When he did speak, Victor found himself surprised yet again.

“I’m sorry man. I should have intercepted Pilar when I saw what was happening. I know you didn't mean to kiss Benji or to hurt Mia. I know you had planned to give Mia this perfect night-”

“No Felix! This was my fault." Victor insisted. "I kissed Benji back in that hotel. And I  _ let _ him kiss me this time outside the school. The only person to blame here is  _ me _ for not being honest with Mia once I knew.”

Well, Felix couldn’t argue with that. He shrugged his shoulders and made a _‘You right’_ face.

Victor laughed and playfully punched him in the shoulder. Felix got serious again.

“So Mia?” 

Victor sighed. “We talked last night. I told her everything. She’s hurting man. But she’s a good person. The best really. She understood what I was going through. And, she’s a better person than me Felix. She forgave me. But she asked for some time and I’m going to give her all the time she needs.”

Felix nodded. He agreed. Mia was a great person. And he knew how much Victor cared about her as a friend. He was relieved to hear that Mia had forgiven Victor. Still, Felix knew that things would be awkward for a while. Especially since he and Lake were dating now.

Victor seemed to be remembering this.

“So you and Lake are on Creeksecrets.” Victor said.

“Yeah. We’re officially a couple now. We spent the whole night together. Oh-”

He reached into his pocket and withdrew an Olive Garden gift card. 

“Here you go. This was your prize for winning prom king.”

Victor laughed and passed the card back to Felix. “Why don’t you keep it and take Lake out?” he suggested.

“Or… we could double date?” he inquired. “I assume you and Benji are-” Felix made another one of his goofy faces, which Victor interpreted as trying to say he and Benji were a couple.

Victor laughed. He nodded, feeling his smile return again. “We are. Our first date is tonight.”

Felix punched Victor in the shoulder hard. “Way to go man!”

“Ow!” Victor said, laughing. “Not so hard dude!”

“Sorry. I’m just so happy for you.” he said. He draped an arm around Victor’s shoulder and pulled him in close.

“Thanks man. You’re the best friend a guy could hope to have. Mami and Papi think so too.”

“Ah. That would explain the hugs. Your dad didn’t strike me as a hugger.”

“Yeah. I told them you were the first one that I came out to and how supportive you were.”

“Of course. You’re my best friend Victor. I’ve got you.” he pulled Victor in tight against his chest.

Victor smiled again and laughed.

“I know man. And I’ve got your back too.”

He looked over at Felix and sat up a bit before delivering the other news.

“So, Papi is moving into that apartment across from you. And he’s asked me to live with him primarily-”

“Wait! So we get to be neighbors!?” Felix said, leaping to his feet with excitement.

“Felix, we’re ALREADY neighbors.” Victor said laughing from his place on the bed.

“No, I know. You know what I mean. Next  DOOR neighbors!”

Victor laughed again. “Yeah man. Right next door. And Papi already said that you’re welcome any time.”

Felix beamed at hearing this news. He returned to the bed and landed with a soft plop. Victor found himself laughing again. For his part, Felix was also smiling because Victor was smiling. This was the most he had ever seen Victor smile. Compared to the scared, huddled boy that he had met outside only a week earlier, this Victor was a totally new man. He liked seeing his friend this way.

“So, what are you and Benji doing?” He asked.

Victor shrugged and Felix laughed as his friend blushed. “I’m meeting him at Brasstown. But he didn’t tell me anything else.”

“Interesting.” Felix said, pretending to stroke a beard he didn’t have. Victor chuckled and hit him with a pillow.

“Ow!” 

A knock at the door caused the boys to stop what they were doing.

“Who is it?” Felix asked, looking over at Victor. 

“We uh have company coming over. You might want to head out for a while.”

Felix frowned. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah. It’s fine. These are just a friend’s parents. He’s also gay.”

Felix looked perplexed. “Ok…”

“And they are just going to talk with my parents and me about what that’s like-”

“Oh” Felix said, comprehending what was going on. That sounded like a lot. Victor was right. It probably was time for him to head out.

He stood up from the bed and Victor did the same. 

“Ok man. I have to go anyway. I promised to meet up with Lake.”

He pulled Victor into a tight hug and squeezed. Victor did the same.

Felix released him and looked Victor straight in the eyes, growing serious for a moment.

“Hey, I’m really proud of you Victor. I know this is a lot. I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Whenever.”

“Thanks Felix. I can’t tell you how much that means.” 

Felix turned to leave and stopped.

“Oh. Um.. what should I tell Lake?”

Victor shrugged. “Tell her the truth. I don’t know if Mia’s told her yet but Lake deserves to know.”

He laid a hand on Felix’s shoulder. “I won’t ask you to lie for me.”

Felix placed his hand on Victor’s shoulder and squeezed. “Ok. I get it.”

This time, he did turn to leave. “Good luck with your date tonight. Give Benji my best.”

He opened the door and entered the hallway. Victor followed behind him.

As they entered the living room, Victor saw his parents were standing and chatting with Emily and Jack Spier. Emily looked as Simon described, wearing a simple green dress and white sweater. Her long brown hair fell to her shoulders. Jack for his part looked more like Victor's father had earlier, wearing a blue flannel shirt with a t-shirt underneath and a pair of blue jeans. A navy fleece vest completed the outfit along with work boots. 

Well, Victor thought, at least this was someone Papi could probably relate to.

As they saw Victor, the group stopped talking.

“And this is our son Victor and his best friend Felix” Isabel said, introducing both boys to the Spiers.

Emily rushed over to both boys and hugged them. First Victor. Then Felix. 

“A lot of hugging today” Felix observed. He had no idea who this woman was or why she was hugging him. But he decided to just go with it at this point.

Emily laughed. “Sorry Felix. I’m a hugger.” she turned to Victor. “Victor, it’s so great to finally meet you. I’m Simon’s mom Emily.”

“It’s great to meet you as well Mrs. Spier”

Behind her, her husband walked over and extended his arm to Felix. Felix grabbed it-

And yet again was pulled in for a hug. Jack Spier laughed.

“Sorry kid. Couldn’t resist.”

Felix let out a nervous chuckle and looked over at Victor. Victor let out a nervous laugh of his own. He was starting to see what Simon had meant. He also accepted a hug from Mr. Spier.

He cleared his throat.  “Felix actually has to get going. I’m just going to walk him out.”

Isabel and Emily both nodded and Victor proceeded to walk Felix to the door.

“That’s _a lot_ of hugging” Felix said once they were outside.

In answer, Victor threw himself at his best friend and wrapped him in one final hug.

“Get used to it.” Victor said. He felt Felix squeeze him back.

He meant it. Without Felix, Victor didn’t know what he would do. He cared for Benji- maybe even loved him, but Felix was the first real best friend he had ever had. And he had really stepped up for him. Like Mia, there was no way he could pay Felix back for everything he had done. Still, he resolved to try.

Victor finally released him and Felix made his way to the stairs. Giving one final wave and a smile, he turned and began to descend the staircase. Victor returned the wave and turned to head back into the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the Spiers have arrived!


	5. Meet the Spiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I only know about the Ferris Wheel.” Victor said. “When he rode it until Bram got on.”
> 
> Emily and Jack exchanged a nervous glance. 
> 
> “He didn’t tell you about the blog post?” Jack asked cautiously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Spiers have a lot to share with the Salazars.
> 
> Thank you as always for your kind feedback. Please let me know if you see any typos.

Once he was back in the apartment, Victor found that his parents and Simon’s parents were sitting in the living room and drinking coffee. To Victor’s utter horror, his mother had his baby book out on the table by the sofa and was showing Simon’s mother.

His father meanwhile seemed to be discussing sports with Jack. 

“Uh. Sorry about that.” Victor interrupted, moving quickly towards his mother and closing the baby book.

His mother shot him a look, but Mrs. Spier just laughed.

“Not a problem Victor. We were just getting to know each other.”

“Simon said a lot of great things about you Victor. And meeting you and your parents, we can see why.” Jack said, he glanced over at Armando who smiled.

“Thank you Mr. Spier” Victor said. He meant it. “I don’t know what I would have done without Simon’s advice.”

“Why don’t we sit?” Isabel suggested, motioning everyone to take a seat. Victor sat between his parents on the couch while Jack and Emily each sat in a chair opposite the couch.

Once seated, Isabel glanced at her husband and then at Victor, unsure how to start.

“So” Emily said, trying to determine whether to put on her psychologist hat or her mother hat first, “When Simon came out to us, it was a bit of a shock.”

“Well, for me it was a big shock.” Jack admitted, looking at his wife. “I really didn’t have any idea and I felt so guilty for having missed it. Emily- she suspected that he might-”

“I knew he had a secret. But I wasn’t sure if that was what it was. Who can be really?” Emily said, looking at Isabel and Armando before settling back on Victor.

“I only know about the Ferris Wheel.” Victor said. “When he rode it until Bram got on.”

Emily and Jack exchanged a nervous glance. 

“He didn’t tell you about the blog post?” Jack asked cautiously.

Victor shook his head. “I mean, I know that he was talking to Bram-”

“Right. But Victor, Simon was outed online by a classmate on Christmas Eve.” Emily said.

Victor froze. “He-he never mentioned that.” Victor couldn’t believe it. He had thought everything had gone so perfectly for Simon. He had a loving family, the support of the school. He even got Bram after a big gesture of love. He was a legend in Creekwood High.

“Simon told us he was gay on Christmas Day because if he didn’t, we were going to find out anyway.” Jack said. Armando noticed the look in the other man’s eyes. Anger. Rage. Victor's father felt these emotions too whenever he thought of people mistreating his son.

“How awful! Why would someone do something like that?” Isabel said.

Emily looked at her and smiled sadly. “The person who did it was hurting because others had hurt him. And I think he just wanted someone else to feel what he felt or distract them from hurting him further.”

“Poor Simon.” Victor said. Ms. Albright had left out this part of the story.

Simon’s mother continued. “Simon had a hard time at first Victor. I wish I could tell you that it was just the Ferris wheel and that was the end of it. But that’s not what happened. The post contained a lot of hurtful information. It had screenshots of his emails with Bram who was using the name ‘Blue’. Bram panicked and cut off communication. And Simon and his friends had a falling out for a while because Simon was blackmailed into hurting them.”

“Hurting them?” Armando asked. He was very confused.

Emily sighed. “He later told us it was the worst thing he had ever done. The other student-”

“ _ Martin _ ” Jack practically spat the name out, as if he were expelling poison from his body.

“-had a crush on one of Simon’s friends Abbey. But, Simon knew that his friend Nick also had a crush on her. Because he was trying to protect Bram’s identity- because he was falling in love with him- he tried to set her up with Martin so Martin would not share screenshots of those emails.”

“Oh no.” Isabel said.

“It gets worse.” Jack continued, his eyes cast to the ground. “Simon’s other best friend Leah had a crush on Simon and he didn’t realize it. He thought she was in love with Nick and in his panic used that to justify convincing Nick to try and date Leah.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Victor now realized why Simon had been so insistent that he should speak to Mia before he hurt her. Simon had hurt his friends by trying to hide his own secret. It seems Victor wasn’t as different from Simon as he had thought.

Emily looked at the Salazars and continued. “It all blew up over the holidays after Simon was outed online. Everyone was hurt. Simon for being outed. Abbey for being tricked into dating Martin. Nick for being told that Abbey had a boyfriend and that Leah liked him. And Leah for being set up with Nick when Simon knew he liked Abbey.”

Jack jumped in. “And then school started back up and everyone knew. People mocked him and others just felt pity. He was miserable.”

“The final straw was when Bram deleted his email account and retreated completely. Simon was all alone.”

“So all he had for support was us.” Jack added, looking from his wife to Victor’s parents.

Emily shifted in her chair.

“It wasn’t until he came out to us that we realized just how alone Simon had felt. We saw him doing well in school and going out with friends. We just couldn’t figure out why he still seemed so miserable at times.” Emily paused and took a sip of coffee. She then looked at both parents.  “But, once he opened up to us, our family unit actually grew stronger.”

“How did you feel at first after he told you?” Armando found himself asking.

“Surprised. Happy. Angry. Ashamed.” Jack said. Everyone looked at him and he continued.

“Surprised because I just never saw it-and as his father I should have. Happy that my son could finally be who he was and that he felt he could tell us. Angry that he had been outed by that little pissant. And ashamed of the things I had said in front of him when he was in the closet. I told so many awful jokes. I broke down crying in front of him apologizing for my behavior.” Jack felt his eyes start to water as he recalled the conversation with his son.

Armando nodded, completely understanding what Jack was saying. He looked at his own son. That described almost exactly how he was feeling.

Emily looked at Isabel. “For me, it was a relief in one way. My son had spent so long trying to be someone he wasn’t. Watching him finally exhale-”

“It was like watching a weight come off.” Armando said.

Emily blinked and nodded. “Yes. Exactly like that.” she smiled. Though she had only just met the Salazars, she could tell that this was a strong family unit and that Victor would be alright. They all would be. “But, it was also incredibly painful. Because I knew that being gay was Simon’s thing and there were parts of his path that he would have to walk alone.”

“And that’s what we’re afraid of. We love Victor. And we understand that he is gay. But-” Isabel started to say.

“But you really don’t know what it means to be the parents of a gay son.” Jack finished. He raised his arms out wide. “Welcome to the club. We’ve all been there.” He assured them.

“There are some things that take getting used to” Emily admitted, “but Simon was still Simon. He just started dating Bram instead of another girl. We still had all the same talks about safe sex and love and-”

Victor cringed and Jack came to his rescue “I think they get that part honey.”

Emily let out a nervous laugh and mouthed a silent ‘Sorry’ to Victor.

“How did you deal with other family members?” Armando asked.

Jack sighed. “That-” he admitted, “can be tricky.”

Isabel nodded. Victor spoke up.

“My Tito and Abuela come from...different times.”

Emily nodded. She had worked with many different family units. This was not uncommon. “Ultimately Victor, this is your choice. You decide who you want to tell, if you want to tell them, and when. But-” she paused and made sure she was looking him in the eyes.

“You won’t be truly happy until you are able to **fully** **be** yourself.”

Jack looked at all three of them. “Simon didn’t get a choice. It was  _ taken _ from him. You have that choice. What you decide to do now is totally up to you.”

Emily leaned forward so she was eye to eye with Victor. “Simon told us that at the time, there was only one other openly gay student. Ethan had come out two years earlier and Simon assumed that because he shrugged off insults, that he was living his life fully. But Ethan confided in Simon that his parents lied to protect his grandmother’s feelings. Just remember that everyone’s story is different.”

Victor sighed. "I just... I don't think I can tell them. It would break their hearts-”

Armando put an arm around his son and looked into his eyes.

“Hey mijo, their hearts can take it. Trust me. We could. And if they truly love you, they’ll work through it. I don’t want you trying to protect us. You’ve done that for too long.”

Isabel nodded and patted her son’s lap. “Your father is right. You’ve tried to hold this family together at the cost of your own happiness. It’s time to let go and trust that  _ we _ will be fine on our own.”

Victor felt his eyes well up with tears and he bowed his head.

Jack leaned forward in his chair and looked over at Victor. He put a hand on the boy’s knee.

“Listen to your parents Victor. I know you don’t really know me, but trust me when I tell you that you and your family will be okay. But right now, you _have_ to focus on yourself.”

Emily concurred. “And I can tell that for you, that’s going to be the hardest part.”

Victor scoffed and sniffled. He wiped at his eyes. She was right of course. Now he knew where Simon learned to give such great advice.

She continued. “When Simon came out, I told him that he could stop holding his breath and exhale. I told him then and I will tell you now, that now you get to be more you than you have been in a  _ very _ long time. And just like my son, I am telling you that you deserve  everything that you want.”

At this, Isabel started to tear up. She put her arm around her son and squeezed. Armando grasped his son’s hand and likewise gave it a squeeze.

“She’s right mijo. You do deserve everything you want.” Armando said, kissing his son on the forehead.

Victor inclined his head to acknowledge what they were saying as he continued to wipe tears from his eyes. He hadn’t known until now how much he needed to hear those words.

“Thank you.” he responded, his voice cracking. 

He understood what Simon’s mother was saying intellectually. But now, he was starting to feel it in his own heart. That feeling of being a fully complete person. But he was nervous. Sure, he had received a surprising amount of love and support from family and friends, but there was still the rest of the world to deal with- and his grandparents.

Emily simply smiled back at him, but said nothing else. She let the words sink in.

Isabel turned in her position on the couch to face Emily.

“Emily, you mentioned you had a daughter-”

“Nora is Simon’s younger sister.” Emily nodded.

“How did she react?” 

Jack frowned. “Nora found out from the web.”

Emily nodded, recalling what Simon had told her months later.

“Simon had just found out and was understandably upset. Nora came to him in tears. She just wanted to help her brother and make sure he was ok, but in his anger, he did lash out at her.”

Jack looked at the Salazars and explained. “For Simon, that was **incredibly** out of character. This is a brother who always complemented his sister’s cooking experiments even though more than half were-”

“Terrible” Emily said while Jack said “Inedible” and the two laughed. This caused the Salazars to also laugh.

“But Simon made amends with her quickly. He bought her a Cuisinart for Christmas and they were back to their normal relationship pretty much right after” Jack recalled.

Emily smiled. “She handled it very well. Probably better than us.” she admitted.

“It took us a bit longer to have a real conversation with Simon. Almost two weeks later.” Jack said, looking down at his navel. It was clear he was embarrassed by how long it had taken him to really talk with his son.

“Pilar is like Nora I think.” Victor said, recalling the short but sweet text his sister had sent him before bed last night.

Jack smiled. “That’s good. Victor, Simon told us he never really feared how we would react. He knew we would accept him. While he did want to assure us he was still the same Simon we knew and loved and didn’t want to be treated differently, he knew it was safe to come out to us.”

Simon’s father looked at both of Victor’s parents and continued.

“I know you are scared. But I hope you have seen just how much your parents care for you by their actions today. Going off of nothing more than  _ your word _ , they agreed to invite two strangers into their home to talk about this.”

Victor looked at his mother and father and then looked back Jack. “Yeah. They are pretty amazing.” he agreed, smiling.

His father patted him on the shoulder and his mother rubbed his thigh. Jack continued, his smile faltered.

“But not everyone is that lucky. We’ve told you about Simon’s struggles. And I’m sorry to say that he’s had more than a few. And will likely endure more throughout his life.”

Emily jumped in. “But because Simon had Bram, Nora, Jack and I, as well as his friends from high school and his roommates, he’s been able to cope better than we ever could have hoped. He is in a very healthy place right now and he and Bram are an adorable couple.”

“The point” Jack said, looking at his wife and smiling, “Is that you now know you have people here to support you. So remember that no matter how alone you feel, these people are there for you. Your parents. Your sister. Felix. Simon. Bram. Ivy. Kim. Justin.”

“And Us.” Emily added, reaching out with both hands and patting both of Victor’s parents on the knee.

Victor looked to his right and then left and then back at the Spiers. Four smiling faces were staring at him, waiting for him to let the words sink in and acknowledge what he had been told. He was never alone. Not anymore. That community Simon had told him about had expanded and would continue to expand as long as Victor let them in.

“Thank you. I get it.” Victor said. He exhaled and blew out a long breath he hadn’t realized he had started to hold.

Simon’s mother noticed it and again smiled. She turned to Isabel. “Regarding Victor’s sister” she started, “I think what you are asking Isabel is how to support Pilar during this time as well. Right?”

She nodded. “Our family has been through a lot. I’m not sure if Simon told you but-”

She glanced over at Armando. “I had an affair about a year ago. And my husband and I are separating in order to work on our marriage.”

Emily’s smile faded as she grew more concerned and she nodded. “Simon did give me a heads up. And I want you to know that you are doing what’s right for you and your family right now.”

“Pilar doesn’t exactly feel that way.” Armando said, recalling how upset his daughter had been the prior evening.

“She’ll understand” Jack assured him. “It’s going to take time. But if you want to know how I know you guys will be fine?” He paused and looked at each of the Salazars. “It’s because I can sense the love for your children just by being in this room with you. Families who want to get better get help. The rest live in denial and allow anger and resentment to fester.” He glanced over at his wife and smiled. “Clearly, my wife’s line of work has started to rub off on me.”

Emily scoffed and smiled again. “But he is right. You’re taking a big step but it is for the right reasons. Pilar will understand.”

“I’m most worried about our youngest son.” Armando admitted.

“Adrian may not even understand what being _gay_ means.” Victor said. 

“Well, lucky for you, this is an area that I do have a lot of experience in.” Emily reassured. She settled into her chair and fully entered into child psychologist mode.

“Why don’t you tell me a little about Adrian?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Victor realizes that Simon's coming out wasn't as perfect as he was led to believe. Hopefully this will only strengthen their bond.
> 
> Oh... the date is next.


	6. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ugh!” he groaned, rapidly pushing through several shirts and finally settling on a neutral dark blue button down. He yanked the shirt off the rack and hooked it on his dresser.
> 
> He looked down and realized that his jeans would not be appropriate either.
> 
> He sighed, unbuttoning the jeans and kicking them off into a ball near his bed. Victor stood there in his socks and boxers. He groaned.
> 
> “This was so much easier when I was pretending to be straight!” he said aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind words. This one is a bit long but hopefully you enjoy. Please advise if there are any typos. I've revised this chapter quite a bit.

“I think our time is up.” Jack said.

Emily glanced at her husband and saw that he was teasing her. She glanced down at her watch and nearly jumped out of her chair.

It was 5pm. They had been talking for nearly four hours.

“Oh wow. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”

Isabel shook her head. “It felt like time just flew by. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

She glanced over at her husband and he looked back with a nod. Maybe they really were back on the same wavelength again she thought.

“Victor has to go get ready for his date tonight.” She said, patting her son on the knee and taking just a little bit of delight from his blushing and smile, “But Armando and I would be honored if you would stay for dinner.”

Emily looked over at her husband and he shrugged his shoulders. 

“We’d love to.” She said.

“On second thought. Maybe we should go out.” Armando suggested. “Pilar needs to get Adrian home.”

Isabel looked at the Spiers and they nodded. Then she cringed. “Victor needs the car” she remembered.

“Not a problem, we’ll drive. I know just the place” Jack said, looking at Armando.

Isabel turned to her son. “Mijo, you should go get ready. You don’t want to be late.”

Victor blushed again, looked at his mother and nodded. He didn’t recall feeling this way when he started dating Mia. Sure, he was nervous. But _this_ was a different level.

He turned back to face the Spiers. “Mr. and Mrs. Spier thank you for coming today. I really can’t tell you how much this helped.” he said.

Jack grinned and Emily smiled wide. “I’m so glad we could help Victor. I know Simon told you that you are not alone. And I hope now that your parents can see that they are not alone either. And it’s okay not to have all the answers.”

Isabel nodded. “We do. Thank you so much.”

Jack rose from his chair and looked at Emily. 

“Oh, we forgot to tell him.”

Emily gasped and said “You’re right. Before you go Victor-” she looked at Jack.

“Next week is Simon’s Spring Break. He, Bram and their roommates are flying down and Simon’s friends from high school are also coming back. To celebrate, we’re having a large gathering to welcome everyone. Simon, Jack and I were hoping that you would join us and possibly bring Benji.”

“Assuming you and he want to of course” Jack added.

“I’d be honored. Really. I’ll talk to Benji about it.” Victor hugged both of the Spiers and proceeded to walk towards his bedroom. Before leaving the archway he paused.

“Uh.. just checking. Is Nora going to be preparing the meal.”

Jack chuckled and Emily quickly chimed in. “No. No, Nora will be providing some side dishes, but the main meal is all me.” she assured him.

Victor chuckled. “Okay then. Can I let Simon know once I’ve spoken to Benji?”

“Of course.” Emily replied.

“Great. Thank you again for coming. I’ll see you soon.”

Victor turned and practically ran down to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up. 

Outside, he heard his parents and Spiers talking for a few more minutes and then he heard his mother yell down the hall. “Ok mijo! We’re heading out. Pilar should be home soon with Adrian. Have fun tonight and be safe.”

“Remember curfew is midnight. Call or text us if there are any problems.” his father added.

“I will!” Victor shouted from the bathroom.

He heard the door open and close. Letting out a sigh, Victor turned to look at himself in the mirror.

He had no idea what to wear. Benji had told him nothing about what they were doing or where they were going.

He groaned. He really should have asked. He opened the door to the bathroom and quickly trotted into his bedroom and closed the door.

He pulled his t-shirt up over his head and threw it into his hamper. Walking over to his closet, he looked at the options before him.

“I wish Mia were here.” he mumbled. Mia always looked great in anything she wore. “Or Pilar” he said. He started shifting through various shirts. He spotted a bright purple shirt with pink polka dots- something one of his relatives had given him. It was hideous, he thought, and he pushed it out of the way and continued sorting through the shirts he had.

“Or Justin-” he said with a laugh, fondly remembering Simon and Bram’s roommate.

He continued searching through the shirts and glanced down at his phone. It was now well past 5:30pm.

“Ugh!” he groaned, rapidly pushing through several shirts and finally settling on a neutral dark blue button down. He yanked the shirt off the rack and hooked it on his dresser.

He looked down and realized that his jeans would not be appropriate either.

He sighed, unbuttoning the jeans and kicking them off into a ball near his bed. Victor stood there in his socks and boxers. He groaned.

“This was so much easier when I was pretending to be straight!” he said aloud.

Grabbing the shirt, he quickly unbuttoned the buttons and put it on. Then he returned to the closet and pulled out a semi formal pair of black pants. He quickly put those on and grabbed a black belt to thread through. He tucked the shirt in and unbuttoned the top two buttons, allowing the collar to lay flat. He briefly tried flipping the collar up but quickly decided against it. He didn’t think he was cool enough to pull that look off and didn’t want Benji to think of him as goofy.

He looked down at his feet and realized he was wearing white socks. He stared again at his phone and saw that it was nearly 6pm. Cursing, he flung open his sock drawer and withdrew a pair of black socks to put on. He quickly sat down, removed the white socks, threw them in the hamper to join his discarded t-shirt, and thrust the black socks on.

Thankfully, he only had a few pairs of shoes to choose from. He chose a nice black pair. Not too formal but not too casual either. He began to lace the shoes and then proceeded to run a comb through his hair.

He looked at himself in his bedroom mirror and found himself inspecting his skin. Fortunately, the stress from the past 24 hours had not resulted in any major blemishes.

For a brief second, he stared at himself, inspecting his handiwork. 

“Not bad for my first date as a gay man.” he said to his smiling reflection.

He turned and grabbed his wallet from his bedside table along with his phone. He walked down the hallway and grabbed his house keys and the keys to his parent’s car.

As he turned to exit the apartment via the stairs he jumped and nearly collided with Pilar as she and Adrian came up the stairs.

“Victor!” Adrian exclaimed. “Where are you going?”

“I uh..I’m meeting a friend Adrian.” Victor decided.

Pilar inspected her older brother silently. Victor did his best to try and relax. Finally she said

“Tell _B_ I said hi.” She opened the door and motioned Adrian inside. Then she turned around and added. “And we _are_ going to discuss Mia tomorrow hermano.” she said, a little threat in her voice. 

Victor nodded. “Mia knows. We talked. I gotta go Pilar. But I promise, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” 

“Have fun.” Pilar said, an evil grin plastered on her face.

“Please stop that.” Victor groaned, rolling his eyes. He was walking backwards slowly towards the stairwell.

“Pilar!” Adrian called from inside the apartment.

“Gotta go” Pilar said with a wink. She closed the door and Victor let out a long sigh as he quickly descended the stairs. He did not want to be late.

***

Victor pulled his parent’s car into a very empty parking lot. It seemed that on Saturday nights, this part of the town was quiet. He could see that Brasstown was dark as were the shops around it.

Briefly, Victor wondered if he had gotten the instructions wrong. He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was nearly 7pm. Not late. But not too early either.

He nearly jumped as his phone dinged with a text from Benji.

_Are you on your way?_

He quickly responded.

_Just parked._

Victor saw a small light turn on in Brasstown and the door crack open. He couldn’t make out Benji from this far away.

Victor took a moment to compose himself. He took several deep breaths and let them out. He had never felt so nervous and excited at the exact same time.

He opened the car door, made sure he had everything and then locked it. Closing the door, he carefully crossed the street and walked to the entrance of Brasstown.

He eyed the partially cracked door and peered in. The room was dark. He frowned as Benji was nowhere to be seen.

“Benji?” he called.

“One sec!” 

Victor turned to pull the door closed behind him. He heard the lock click shut. When he turned back, he gasped.

While much of the space remained dark, likely to avoid attracting any visitors, the center of the room was lit up with soft white string lights. In the center, Benji had a small table set for dinner for the two of them complete with a white tablecloth and linen napkins.

Victor started walking over, letting out a nervous chuckle.

As he walked over, he looked around for Benji. Still, his date seemed to be hiding. Clearly, he enjoyed a dramatic entrance.

Victor rested his hand on the top of a chair and looked at the table setup. Candles were put out along with a bottle of sparkling cider that sat in a bucket of ice- which, Victor reflected, was good. Benji had confided in him about his drinking and Victor wasn’t the type to drink anyway. He remembered helping a drunk Felix at Mia’s party and shuddered.

Two water glasses were also filled on the table and a pitcher of water sat in the middle next to a basket of bread.

Clearly, Benji had spent quite some time on this.

Finally, Victor heard the door behind the counter open. He turned and Benji emerged carrying two plates.

Victor paused to look at him. Benji had embraced the waiter role fully. He was wearing black pants, a white shirt, black vest, and a red bow tie. Victor sighed.

Exhibit A that Victor knew he was gay: He could not stop looking at Benji. It didn’t matter if it was a tight white T-shirt, a sweaty tank top, or a dark black suit for a dance, Benji looked amazing in anything he wore in Victor’s opinion. Victor stared at his date’s perfectly swept hair- except for one stray strand that kept falling near his eyes. He continued to stare.

Benji looked over at Victor and smiled wide. Still holding the plates, he spread his arms wide to take in the room.

“Welcome to the grand re-opening of Trattoria de Benji!” he announced.

Victor chuckled. Benji walked over to him and placed two dinners on either side of the table.

Then, he turned to face Victor and pulled him in for a kiss.

Immediately, Victor felt the fighter jets flying overhead and the fireworks that he had felt the night before. Benji pulled away and looked at Victor, unsure of what to do next, but still smiling.

“It’s perfect.” Victor said, returning the smile.

Benji turned and pulled Victor’s chair out for him, motioning for him to sit. Victor did so and shuffled forward as Benji pushed the chair in. He then took the linen napkin and laid it on Victor’s lap.

“I know that you aren’t really out yet so I wanted to do something where you would feel comfortable.” Benji admitted.

Victor looked down at his meal. It was not spaghetti and meatballs like Benji had made for Derek. As he lowered into his own chair, Benji spotted Victor looking at the meal.

“I didn’t think meatballs were appropriate. I hope that’s okay.” Benji said, clearly worried he had offended him.

“It’s perfect Benji. Really.” Victor said. He looked across at his date and flashed him another smile.

“It’s Rigatoni with Chicken and Broccoli Bolognese.” Benji said, a little nervous.

“I’m sure it’s delicious.” Victor said, taking a look at it.

Benji smiled again. He looked at the meal, unsure what to do next. “Well, uh, let’s dig in I guess.” he said.

“Sounds good.” Victor agreed, grabbing his fork and knife.

He cautiously speared the first piece of pasta and chicken and brought it to his mouth.

As soon as the food hit his tongue, his taste buds went wild.

“MMMMM!” he exclaimed. It was amazing. He knew that Benji had liked to cook, but this was the first time Victor had a chance to try it for himself.

Benji, who had been watching intently before taking a bite of his own meal, visibly relaxed. 

“Benji, this is amazing!” Victor said. He returned his fork to the plate and took another mouthful. He took a sip of water and paused to speak.

Victor saw his shoulders sag in relief.

“I’m so glad you like it Victor. I really wanted this to be special for you. You... mean a lot to me.” Benji said, smiling before taking a bite of the meal himself.

The other boy also enjoyed it, clearly pleased with his own cooking. Victor smiled.

“Honestly Benji, you mean a lot to me too.” He paused as Benji looked up from his plate to meet him at eye level.

Benji had a way of doing that. He made Victor feel like he was the center of the universe and that all of Benji’s attention was on him.

“There’s this part of me that I didn’t know existed... until I met you.” he said. “And now that I have, I feel.... complete.”

Benji’s fork fell out of his hand and landed on the plate with a clang. The sound startled him and Victor flinched forward. He ended up with his lips against Benji’s as the other boy shot across the table.

The two boys remained half standing up in their chairs, leaning over the table, away thankfully from the candles.

Finally, after what seemed like minutes but was in reality only seconds, Benji pulled apart.

“You don’t know how much I needed to hear that Victor.” Benji said. “I thought I felt that way once, but it turns out I was wrong.” he said, his eyes looking down at the candles.

Victor frowned. How could Benji be wrong? Benji was _perfect_ in his eyes.

“But it seems, I just wasn’t patient enough. Because... then you came along and _you_ were my missing piece.” Benji replied. 

Victor noticed that his eyes were watering. Inside his body, Victor continued to feel the fireworks going off. In fact at this point, it was like an entire Fourth of July parade marching through his body complete with the marching bands, floats and cheering crowds.

“Uh, maybe we better finish this before it gets cold.” Benji said, letting out a nervous laugh.

Victor laughed as well. “Yeah. It would be a shame to waste such an amazing dinner. I’d hate to do that to the chef. He’s so nice and he’s very handsome and has a _great_ head of hair.”

Benji snorted, nearly choking on his food. He grabbed a sip of water and continued laughing.

Victor laughed too and began digging in.

****

“Here we go.” Jack said as they entered the restaurant.

Isabel frowned. It was a waffle house.

Emily looked over at her and smiled. “I promise, the food is good here.”

Armando also seemed a bit confused, but he followed the Spiers to a nearby booth and they sat down.

Jack leaned over and said “This is one of Simon’s favorite places. He and his friends would come here all the time.”

“Victor and his friends seem to like Brasstown.” Isabel replied, unsure what the connection was that Jack was trying to get at.

“Victor’s a great boy...” Emily said. Isabel realized that she was preparing to drop something on them. After an afternoon seeing her in therapist mode, she realized that Simon’s mother still had one more piece of advice to pass on.

“Armando, earlier you said that it was like a weight that had been lifted off of Victor.” Emily recalled.

He nodded.

She continued. “And you are right. But what we didn’t say in front of Victor is what I’m sure you both have already realized. That weight isn’t gone. It’s transferred.”

Jack gestured to the two of them. “To the both of you.”

Isabel and Armando looked at each other and they knew the Spiers were correct. True, all of the secrets were gone, but it was replaced by new pressure and new worries.

“I was terrified when Simon told me he wanted to move to New York with Bram for college.” Emily continued. “We had always talked about him going to LA so I was prepared for the distance.”

“But we knew that despite the tolerance of most New Yorkers, there can be some very intolerant people there. Anywhere really.” Jack added.

“And there are.” Emily confirmed.

“But, there are also a lot of great people. I know that Bram and the others tried to show that to Victor when he visited.” Jack added.

“The thing is...at some point, Victor is going to get hurt.” Emily said it and her eyes were filled with sadness. “It’s not a matter of _if_ someone says something, but _when_.”

“And it’ll likely be high school where he endures the worst of it.” Jack added.

Armando nodded. “We know. We remember how cruel high school can be and we wish we could protect him. But what can we do?”

Emily and Jack’s smiles faded and they looked at each other, then back at the Salazars.

Jack spoke first. “Be there for him after. The hardest part of being a parent of a gay child is knowing that you can’t protect them from the world and trusting that they will still be okay.”

Emily placed a hand on Isabel’s. “I know you are worried about how your family will react. And to be honest, some of Simon’s extended family did not exactly embrace the idea of him and Bram as a couple-”

“And there are some family friends that we are no longer friends with.” Jack said, staring directly at Armando.

Emily looked at both of them. “And it’s not easy some days. We won’t say it is. But this is what parents do for their children.”

Isabel reached across the table and held Emily’s hand. “Thank you for this. For everything. I’m so terrified for my baby boy,” she said, eyes welling with tears. Emily squeezed her hand. She had been there on more than one occasion. “-but I know he’ll be okay. He’s stronger than both of us.” she said, looking at her husband. Armando bowed his head, wiping tears from his own eyes.

“But that just means he’s incredibly strong _because_ he comes from a pair of _very_ strong parents.” Jack observed. He smiled.

Armando and Isabel laughed, wiping their tears.

“Anyway,” Emily said, trying to brighten the mood, “I think we’ve had enough serious talk for one day. Let’s get some food and share some of our favorite stories about our kids.”

Isabel nodded.

“Oh, if only I hadn’t left the baby book at home!” she lamented

“You need to learn about the cloud. Simon claims that it’s his second biggest regret in life teaching me how to use it.” Jack said with a grin as he pulled out his phone and proudly pulled up pictures of his son and daughter when they were younger-including multiple embarrassing baby photos. But he also showed them more recent photos of everyone together, including Simon with Bram and his friends. 

Armando focused on how happy the Spiers’ son was. As Jack scrolled through the photos, he could see the visible change in Simon’s body language and how much wider he smiled. And he knew that Victor was now feeling the same way.

“Oh that’s adorable!” Isabel said as Jack scrolled to a recent family photo with Jack, Emily, Nora, Simon, and Bram.

Emily smiled and signaled to the waiter that they were ready to order.

****

“Benji, that was...amazing.” Victor said, as he pushed the empty plate away from him. 

Across from the table, Benji was also finished. He took a sip of his water and smiled.

“I hope you have room for dessert.” he said, rising to take the plates. Victor started to rise as well but Benji motioned for him to sit. “At Trattoria de Benji, the only one who cleans is the host.” he admonished.

Victor laughed and Benji’s smile just widened. Both boys beamed at the other’s reaction. Benji disappeared into the back with the empty plates and returned moments later with two small bowls.

He set one down in front of Victor along with a spoon and set the other in front of himself.

“I hope you like Chocolate mousse.” he said.

“Love it.” Victor replied, grabbing the spoon to dig in.

Benji reached over for the sparkling cider and uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses. He handed one to Victor and raised his own glass as he sat back down.

“I wanted to make a toast.” He said. Victor raised his own glass as Benji continued.

“I know that coming out is not easy. Believe me. But I wanted to congratulate you on taking that first giant step. You really surprised me Victor. It’s a lot to come out to your family. And I am so glad that it went well. So... here’s to you.”

He moved his glass to clink Victor’s and the two took a sip.

“Ok, now I’d like to make a toast if you don’t mind.” Victor said, raising his glass.

Benji nodded and held his glass aloft.

“To you Benji. You are an incredible chef, an incredible singer, and an incredible kisser.” Victor said, causing Benji to blush. “I am so excited to start this new journey of mine with you.”

Victor moved his glass to click with Benji’s and they each took a sip.

“Ok, no more toasts or we’ll never eat this mousse.” Benji said with a laugh. 

Victor chuckled and grabbed his spoon, digging right in and savoring the light chocolate treat.

“Oooh.” he moaned, causing Benji to blink. “It’s so good!” Victor exclaimed.

Benji just laughed. It was wonderful to have someone who actually appreciated his cooking. Unlike...he shoved the thought away. He refused to let his past relationship ruin this wonderful evening. He looked over at Victor who was quickly devouring his dessert. He glanced at his watch. It was almost 8pm.

“When you finish your dessert, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Benji promised. “If you’re up for a little adventure.”

At this, Victor immediately returned his spoon to the dish, eager to see what else Benji had up his sleeve.

***

“Wow, you weren’t kidding.” Isabel said, setting her utensils down on her empty plate.

“See? Not bad right? Simon kept trying to drag us here for years.” Emily said with a laugh.

“It was great.” Armando agreed. As the waiter approached, he reached for his wallet.

Jack started to do the same.

“Please, allow us to treat you after all you’ve done for us today.” Isabel said.

Emily just shook her head. “Part of this is that you don’t _ever_ have to thank us. Just pay it forward in your own way when the opportunity arises.” She turned to Jack, ever the diplomat. “We’ll split it.”

Armando sighed and nodded, not wanting to put up a fight tonight.

He and Jack handed their credit cards to the waiter and continued talking as the waiter left to ring them up.

“So, is Simon into... other aspects of being gay?” Armando asked, his voice just above a whisper.

Jack blinked at him, unsure how to answer. “Such as?” he replied cautiously.

“Well, Victor said that Bram and the others took him to a Drag Show…” 

Jack chuckled. “Well, Simon and Bram aren’t really the dress in drag type.” but then paused to add “Not there is anything wrong with that. His roommates enjoy it and Simon and Bram support them.”

“And they’re quite good.” Emily added. “Simon and Bram took us to a drag show the first time we went to visit them.”

“It’s quite the experience.” Jack said, looking at Armando. The other man seemed scared out of his wits. This was definitely an area he didn’t understand at all. Jack continued.

“If you do ever get the chance to go, you should! Drag shows are all about celebration. People are living their lives to the fullest and sharing that joy with one another. You won’t find a more positive place to be. Being around that kind of energy is infectious.”

“Well, Victor seemed to enjoy it.” Armando replied, his unspoken statement hanging in the air.

“Yeah, but enjoying the show and wanting to dress in drag are two completely different things Armando.” Jack clarified.

“And if Victor did decide to participate, would that really be so bad? Surely he has dressed up for Halloween?” Emily asked.

Isabel nodded. “Of course. This is just an area that we really just don’t know much about...” She sighed. “There’s so much we don’t know.” she admitted.

“Of course there is. But here’s the good news: Victor is _also_ still learning and finding himself. So you have time to catch up with him.” Jack replied.

“And we can help with that a bit. I can give you some books to read and send you some online articles if you’re interested.” Emily offered. “I did a lot of research after Simon came out.”

Isabel smiled. “Thank you. We’d appreciate that.”

The waiter returned with their cards and receipts. He handed one to Jack and one to Armando. Each man quickly added a tip and signed their receipt.

“Ok.” Jack said, “Let’s head out.”

****

“Turn here.” Benji said, pointing to a small road up ahead.

Victor nodded and did as he was told. He guided the car down the small road and wondered again what Benji had planned. They had been driving for just over a half hour. It was now just past 8:30pm. He still had time to get back and Benji assured him they would, but he really didn’t want to test his parents’ patience.

“You can park right over there.” Benji said.

Victor pulled the car into a very small dirt lot and turned the car off.

“Okay, now can you tell me?” He asked.

Benji shook his head. “Soon. I promise.”

He opened the door and waited for Victor to do the same.

Victor locked the car and placed the key in his pant pocket.

He turned to follow Benji. Benji extended his hand and Victor took it. He proceeded to lead him up a small grassy path surrounded by small trees and overgrown plants. Victor had to twist his body to avoid getting caught on the branches.

“Sorry, this place is a bit of a secret so it’s not really well maintained by anyone.” Benji said as he moved gingerly through the dark, holding Victor’s hand tight so he would not get lost. Clearly, Benji had been here many times given the way he effortlessly navigated in the dark, the only light coming from his phone and the large full moon above. As they walked, Victor looked around, appreciating the beautiful evening. The sky was clear and the air was hot, but not in an oppressive way.

As they got closer, Victor could hear the sound of running water. They were near a creek or lake he figured. He gingerly continued to follow Benji, briefly regretting his choice of footwear and soon found himself standing in a small open patch of grass that was just a bit smaller than his apartment.

In front of Benji was a large tree with something hanging from it. It was too dark for Victor to see what exactly. To his left, Victor could see a small body of water thanks to the reflection of the moon dancing along the top.

Victor continued to look around. Surrounded by trees, the area was completely private. All he could think about was how romantic it all felt. He looked over at Benji again and grinned. He knew that Benji was someone who really believed in romance. And Victor did too. But this was like something out of a fairy tale. 

“Where are we?” Victor asked as Benji released his hand and moved a bit further towards the tree.

Benji turned around and grinned. Or at least, Victor thought he was grinning- it was hard to see in the dark.

Instead of responding, Benji pushed a button on his phone. The tree behind him lit with the faint white glow of what Victor assumed were battery powered lights. The lights illuminated the small grass and the water below and now, Victor could better see Benji’s smiling face.

“What did you do?” Victor breathed. He didn’t think this night could get any more magical.

Benji grabbed Victor’s hand and led him over to the tree.

“This is a place I found a long time ago.” Benji started to say. He motioned to the water below. "It’s an old swimming hole that, because of all the pools nearby, no one really uses. But the water’s clean, it’s not deep, there isn’t a current, and it’s warm.” he said, with a grin. “I thought we could end this date by going for a moonlight swim.”

Victor froze. A swim? It was so romantic, but he wasn’t ready for that step. He thought back to what Simon had said about making sure that he and Benji were on the same page and that it was ok to take his time. Benji saw his expression and frowned.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concern all over his face.

“I uh...don’t have a suit.” Victor said, blushing.

Benji chuckled, realizing what had made Victor so uncomfortable. 

“Relax Victor. Remember, we’ve been shopping for clothes together. I know your size.”

There would be no skinny dipping. Maybe they would get there at some point, but not tonight. Benji wanted to take things slow as well. 

He turned back to the tree and withdrew a bag laying against the trunk. He handed it to Victor. Victor peered in. Inside was a pair of swim trunks and a towel.

Victor sighed in relief.

“Wow. You really thought of everything.” Victor said, amazed at how meticulously Benji had planned out their date.

“I told you. I wanted tonight to be special. You deserve it.” He inclined his head and moved in to kiss Victor, placing a hand behind his neck. Victor returned the kiss, feeling the Fourth of July fireworks continuing to go off.

Benji then turned and grabbed his own bag. He smiled and went around the large tree to change, giving Victor some privacy to do the same. Victor quickly kicked off his shoes, unbuttoned his pants and took off both his pants and his underwear. He grabbed the swimsuit Benji had brought, a simple bright blue pair of swim trunks, and put it on. Unsurprisingly, it was a perfect fit. He undid his shirt, took off his socks and placed his clothes in the bag.

“Ready?” Benji asked from behind the tree.

“Yeah.” Victor answered.

Benji came around and Victor felt his heart flutter. He had sneaked glimpses of Benji with his shirt off when they were in Willacoochee and he was in the changing room. But this was the first time he was fully able to look at him up close. Against the light given off by the tree and moonlight, with the wind blowing his perfect hair, Benji looked like something out of the romance novels. He wore a pair of bright red swim trunks that stopped just below his knee. Benji took a moment to look at Victor as well and Victor found himself blushing. This was the first time Benji had seen him with his shirt off and he suddenly felt very self conscious. He resisted the urge to cross his arms over his chest. 

“Ready?” Benji said, extending a hand.

Victor took it and the sensation made his whole body numb. Touching Benji was like being electrocuted. He felt his entire body warm. Benji flashed Victor another smile, and Victor instantly felt safe as Benji proceeded to lead him to the water. Victor felt the water on his feet and the soft sand beneath his feet. He felt his shoulders slack as he began to relax. Benji was right. It wasn’t too cold, it was actually pretty warm for this time of night. Soon they were waist deep and then sunk down to their shoulders.

“Well?” Benji asked. He was staring across the water at him and moving his arms to stay afloat. Slightly shorter than Victor was, it looked like Benji was probably not touching the sand any longer. But if he cared, he didn’t show it as he kept his eyes locked onto Victor.

“This is the best night of my life.” Victor replied, letting out a chuckle and smiling wide.

Benji smiled that warm smile Victor had grown to love and then he moved in to kiss him.

This time, Victor wrapped his arms around Benji and held him up, pressing close against his body so that he could feel his heartbeat. To his surprise, Benji’s heart seemed to be beating just as fast, if not faster than his own. Benji may have acted calm, but his heart was telling a different story.

The two boys lounged in the water, leaning against each other and kissing more and more. Victor had learned how to kiss with Mia. With Benji though, it was something else entirely. It was nice with Mia and Victor liked it and enjoyed doing it. But with Benji… He found that he _craved_ kisses from Benji. He _needed_ them.

After what Victor decided must have been an hour, the boys decided to towel off. Benji led Victor up to the tree and handed him a towel. He pulled out his own towel and then pulled out a large blanket that he set out for them to sit on and dry off. Benji then helped Victor down to the blanket and the two proceeded to lie on the blanket and cuddle against each other for warmth as they looked up at the moon. The evening air was still warm, but Victor couldn’t help but shudder as his bare skin touched the warmth of Benji’s skin.

Victor lay against Benji’s chest, listening as the other’s heartbeat seemed to slow to its normal rhythm. Benji had his left arm wrapped around Victor, holding him close against his chest. Victor’s had his hands resting against Benji’s stomach. Without moving his head, he looked up at Benji and saw that his eyes were closed and he was smiling. Then, he opened his eyes and looked at Victor, his smile faded slightly as he started to speak. 

“Victor, I have a confession to make. Even though I think you may have already figured it out.”

Victor sat up and Benji did the same. He placed his hands on top of Benji’s.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me.” he said.

Benji sighed. “I know I can. That’s just it. I’ve known I could talk to you ever since we first met.”

“At Brasstown?”

“Before that even. I think when we first met each other in the halls at school. And then again that night at the winter carnival. Something in me just...knew.”

Victor was shocked. He let Benji continue.

“And then when you applied at Brasstown, I was so excited. I felt a spark between us when I showed you how to steam the milk.”

Victor blushed, remembering how poorly he had handled that training and how he had run out. But he did not lower his head. He kept his eyes locked on Benji’s facing, letting him know that he had his full attention.

“When you left that day, I was crushed. I… I really wanted to know you more.”

Victor nodded. “I did too. But I was scared.”

Benji laughed. “Yeah. I know that _now_. Then though, I started to wonder if I was projecting. I couldn’t be sure how you felt. But I knew I wanted to know you better. So I...lied to you.”

Victor was puzzled. He couldn’t recall a time when Benji had lied to him. He waited for the confession to continue.

Benji exhaled. “I told you that you were my only applicant. That wasn’t true. Others did apply. But I _chose_ you.”

Victor felt himself blush. Benji chose him. Benji had _wanted_ him. 

“It’s stupid I know. But I guess a part of me wasn’t happy even back then and when you came in, I guess instinct just sort of took over. I don’t think I even fully realized what I was doing.”

He shivered a little and Victor pulled him close, draping a towel around his shoulders. He locked eyes with Victor and smiled at the gesture. He continued.

“So then you started working and I made sure my shift overlapped with yours. Sarah didn’t care as long as all the shifts were covered so she never said anything. Truthfully, I doubt she even noticed.”

Victor blinked. Benji had _wanted_ to work with him. He had purposely done that. Should he be mad? If so, he wasn’t. He was just even more enamored with Benji. _His_ Benji.

“And then that night, when we closed up and we were dancing. I felt it again. And well, that’s why I invited you to see me perform. I really wanted you to come. I hoped you would be there so that I could show off for you. And a part of me deluded myself into thinking I was just looking to a friend for support.”

Victor sighed. He had purposely avoided going because of his conflicting feelings at that time. He and Mia had gone to an art show and that had turned out to be a disaster so they ended up back in time for the encore performance Benji and his band gave.

“I think I know the answer,” Victor said, “but you learned that encore for me. Right?”

Benji blushed. “Guilty.” he admitted. “After that night, the song was stuck in my head. So when I started looking at songs to do, I convinced the band to try a cover song.”

He sighed. “And then I made you go in that car ride with me, knowing you had a commitment to Mia.” 

Victor tensed. He knew where this was going and wasn’t sure he wanted to be reminded.

“When you kissed me in the hotel, I felt guilty because I knew I had a boyfriend and because you were dating Mia. But honestly, I shouldn’t have stopped you.”

Victor looked at him. “What? Why?” 

Benji shrugged and the towel slipped from one shoulder. “Because it’s what I wanted. It’s what I had subconsciously set up. Looking back, I realized that you kissing me was the end goal. And when it happened, I felt so guilty - because I had put you in that situation when you maybe weren’t ready and because I was cheating and making you do the same. But looking back, I set all this into motion that day I lied to you and offered you the job.”

Victor leaned in and kissed Benji again, letting his lips linger on the other’s. 

Benji looked back at him, surprised. Victor squeezed his hands.

“I’m glad you did. Otherwise, I’d still be trying to be someone I’m not and you’d still be unhappy in a relationship that didn’t work.”

Benji sighed. Victor had a point. “Still,” he said, “I handled the kiss badly. I should have never let you leave the room. I should have gone after you and kissed you right back then and there. And then I messed things up with you and Mia before you had a chance to end them your way.”

“Mia is a better person than both of us Benji.” Victor said honestly. “And she still found it in her heart to forgive and support us because we are her friends and she cares about us.”

He grabbed Benji’s hands in his own and looked into his eyes. “I am **done** with beating myself up over the past. And I won’t let you do it either. We’re both looking forward now. Ok?”

Benji smiled. “Ok.” He leaned forward and embraced Victor in a tight hug. As he pulled away the two locked eyes and kissed. This time, Victor could hear _Star and Stripes Forever_ playing as the grand firework finale went off inside of him.

When they stopped, Benji leaned back and glanced at the tree. 

“I have one last surprise for you.” he said.

Victor laughed. “I don’t know if I can take any more.” he replied.

“Just one more. I promise.” Benji said, placing his hands together in a prayer offering. 

When Victor nodded, Benji stood up, fully dry now, and walked over to the corner of the tree, disappearing into the darkness.

Victor frowned as he lost sight of him.

A moment later, Benji returned with a guitar around his shoulder and he began to play. 

Victor’s heart leapt. He knew what song Benji was playing.

As the opening notes finished, Benji began to sing, walking slowly towards Victor.

“I threw a wish in the well

Don't ask me I'll never tell

I looked at you as it fell

And now you're in my way

I'd trade my soul for a wish

Pennies and dimes for a kiss

I wasn't looking for this

But now you're in my way”

Benji approached the blanket and knelt down gingerly, his eyes locked on Victor as he continued.

“Your stare was holding

Ripped jeans, skin was showin'

Hot night, wind was blowin'

Where you think you're going baby?”

Victor sighed. It was their song. Maybe it wasn’t the song he would have preferred if given a choice, but he didn’t care. Whenever he heard this song now, he could only think of Benji. He looked into the other boy’s eyes and the world melted away as Benji continued to sing while sitting across from Victor.

“Hey, I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

Hey I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe”

He looked at Victor, smiling wide as he continued.

“You took your time with the call

I took no time with the fall

You gave me nothing at all

But still you're in my way

I beg and borrow and steal

At first sight and it's real

I didn't know I would feel it

But it's in my way”

Victor’s heart and head were exploding. He knew it was early, but he knew this was _right_. This was what being truly loved felt like. This is what Simon and Bram had. _This_ was what he wanted for himself. He knew that now.

Benji continued to sing, his guitar growing louder as he got deeper into the song, eyes never leaving Victor’s face.

“Your stare was holding

Ripped jeans, skin was showin'

Hot night, wind was blowin'

Where you think you're going baby?”

He practically whispered ‘baby’ and Victor knew exactly who Benji was referring to when he said that word.

“Hey, I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

Hey I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe”

Benji continued to play and Victor remained fixated on him. All sounds and sights outside of Benji playing the guitar, illuminated by the moonlight and the tree above were blocked out as Benji continued to sing. He looked like an angel right then Victor thought. Sent down by heaven for him.

Benji’s voice rose as he looked into Victor’s eyes, putting extra emphasis on the next set of lyrics.

“Before you came into my life

I missed you so bad

I missed you so bad

I missed you so so bad

Before you came into my life

I missed you so bad

And you should know that

I missed you so so bad”

Victor felt tears at the edge of his eyes. He knew that Benji meant every word. And he felt the same. Before Benji came into his life, he missed that part of himself so bad. 

Benji lowered his voice as he came to the refrain.

“It's hard to look right at you baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe.”

Benji looked at Victor. _His_ Victor and saw how the other boy looked at him. He had never felt like this before. He could feel it. Victor was the one for him. He let out a breath and inhaled, preparing enough air to sing the final lyrics.

“Before you came into my life

I missed you so bad

I missed you so bad

I missed you so so bad

Before you came into my life

I missed you so bad

And you should know that

So call me maybe.”

He continued, closing his eyes briefly.

“So call me maybe!” he practically shouted

He opened them and looked at Victor as he finished, his voice barely above a whisper. “So call me maybe…”

His hands paused on the guitar and he stood there breathing. For a moment, the two just stared into each other’s eyes.

Benji set his guitar down against the tree and looked back at Victor. He nervously waited for Victor to say anything.

Instead, Benji found himself pushed down onto the blanket as Victor threw himself on top of him, locking lips as he did so.

They lay that way for a few minutes before rolling to the side, Victor now cradling Benji against his chest as the other boy nuzzled his perfect head of hair against him.

“I don’t want this night to end.” Victor admitted.

“Me either.” Benji replied. He nuzzled closer to Victor’s chest and closed his eyes.

The two lay there for another twenty minutes before an alarm jolted them out of their thoughts.

“What’s that?” Victor asked, as Benji sat up and fished his phone out of his bag.

Benji smiled. “I set an alarm to make sure we left enough time to get you home before curfew.”

Victor laughed. Benji really _did_ think of everything.

He sighed. “I guess we better get dressed and head home.”

“One more minute” Benji replied. He laid back down on the blanket and rolled over to kiss Victor.

***

“You sure you don’t want me to drop you home?” Victor asked again.

They were parked across from Brasstown. It was now past 11pm.

Benji looked over at Victor and nodded. “I need to finish cleaning up before Sarah gets in tomorrow or she’ll freak.”

“I can help you. I have time-” Victor started to say.

Benji shot him a look. “What did I tell you?” he teased.

“At Trattoria de Benji, the only one who cleans is the host.” Victor repeated with a laugh.

“That’s right. Besides, you need to get home so you don’t tempt your parent’s wrath. Especially since I plan to see you a lot over these next few days.” He looked across at Victor and smiled.

“Oh you do, do you?” Victor teased. 

The other boy nodded. “Yeah. I already rescinded my transfer. So we’re back on shift starting Monday.” he ran a hand through his hair. “Although, I have no idea how I’m going to get through a whole shift without kissing you.” he said.

“That’s why they have supply closets.” Victor pointed out.

Benji chuckled. “I guess so.” He glanced over at Victor and was about to speak before Victor beat him to it.

“Benji, this was so amazing. I had a wonderful time.”

Benji smiled. “Me too.”

He leaned over the console between them and kissed Victor, cradling his face between his hands. As he pulled away, he kept holding Victor’s face in front of him, trying to remember every detail of that smile until Monday. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the clock and sighed. He released his hold on Victor and opened the passenger door. Victor watched as he slowly got out and retrieved his bags of supplies.

“So how are you getting home?” Victor asked. He wasn’t leaving until Benji answered him.

The other boy sighed. He was embarrassed Victor could tell. “My mom is coming at 12:30.”

Victor paused. He sometimes forgot that Benji had parents. He only recalled Benji mentioning them in reference to his coming out.

Benji gestured to Brasstown. “So, I’ve gotta get all that cleaned up before she arrives.” he said, holding the guitar case in one hand and the bags in another. 

He looked at Victor and smiled again, then motioned toward the road with his head. “Go on. Don’t make your parents worry.”

In answer, Victor turned off the car.

"Victor-" Benji started to say.

He pulled out his phone and called his parents. He knew they were up.

“Victor? Is everything ok?” His father’s voice came through immediately and Victor could hear the concern.

“Yes Papi. I'm fine. I’m just calling to say I may be a little late. I just wanted to stay and help Benji clean up the store so its ready for tomorrow. I’ll text you when I’m on my way home. Is that ok?”

There was a brief pause and Victor could hear his father talking with his mother. Then he said. “Ok flaco. Thank you for calling. We trust you.”

He heard his mother say in the background “Give our love to Benji!”

“Will do Mami. Thanks.” 

Victor hung up the phone and looked at Benji. The other boy was staring at him, his mouth hung slightly open.

“There. Now c’mon, let’s get this place cleaned up. I know just the song to listen to.” 

Benji smiled.

Victor opened his Spotify app and pressed play.

_“Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo_

_Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo”_

Benji laughed hard, tears in his eyes and Victor just chuckled.

He turned off the song and exited the car. He quickly walked around the front of the parked car and kissed Benji again. Then he took the the bags out of Benji’s hand and motioned for him to lead the way to Brasstown.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Again, your comments are greatly valued.
> 
> Now that this (very long) day is over though...
> 
> I am afraid that now things will start to get a bit more real for Victor.


	7. Brothers and Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and his siblings have a talk.  
> It doesn't go great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to put a slight WARNING here. Some language is used here that in this context is offensive. I do not make this choice lightly, but to show just how dangerous prejudice and ignorance can be. 
> 
> Thank you as always for your comments.

Victor walked up the stairs to the apartment, softly humming _Call Me Maybe_ to himself. He and Benji had finished early by working together. Benji had refused to let him wait for his mother so he had texted his parents before leaving and managed to arrive home just five minutes past his curfew. Victor smiled as he continued to hum his and Benji's song.

“Someone had a good night.” 

Victor paused on the landing and turned to see Felix in his pajamas, sitting on the steps outside his apartment. His friend grinned at him, inclining his head as if to say _Well?_

“It was...” Victor let out a breath, “Amazing.” He smiled at the memory.

Felix smiled as well and nodded. He quickly stood up and looked across at Victor.

“Alright. Well, I just wanted to make sure you got back safe buddy. I’m gonna head to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Victor nodded. “Have a good night Felix. Sleep well.”

Felix quickly ran up the steps to his apartment and waved a final time at Victor before disappearing inside.

Victor carefully opened the apartment door and walked in, not wanting to wake up Adrian.

He turned to see that his parents were sitting on the couch reading.

“How’d it go mi amor?” Isabel asked, looking up from her book.

“It was amazing Mami.” Victor said, his face lighting up again.

“I’m glad.” his father said and Victor could see that while his parents were exhausted from the day's events, they were both genuinely happy for him. “Now get to bed alright?”

Victor nodded. “Good Night” 

“Good Night honey.” Isabel said.

Victor turned and placed the car keys and house key back in their place and then he proceeded to his bedroom.

As he opened the door, he found his sister perched on the edge of the bed. 

“Mia. Spill” she demanded.

Victor closed the door and let out a groan.

“Now? Come on Pilar-”

“Victor, I spent the entire day with Adrian. You **owe** me this.”

She patted the bed. “Sit” she ordered.

Victor sighed. He slowly dragged himself over to his sister and approached the bed. He flopped down on his back causing the bed to shake. Pilar wasn’t having it.

“Sit up. And talk.” she said.

“Really, can’t this wait until morning?” Victor pleaded one last time.

But Pilar was unmoved. Victor groaned again and sat up.

“Ok, what do you want to know?” he demanded with a sigh.

Pilar punched him hard in the chest.

“Ow!” he cried.

“ _ **Why did you cheat on Mia?!**_” she demanded.

Victor looked into his sister’s eyes and swore he was looking into Mia’s. They were full of hurt and confusion.

“It-it sort of just happened. It was my fault. At the time I didn’t know what came over me, but I think my body knew something my mind didn’t...”

Pilar hit him again. 

“Stop that!” Victor ordered.

“You don’t just _get_ to let your body do things!” Pilar hissed. “That’s what your _mind_ is there to stop!”

She wiped at her eyes. “I thought you were better than that. I certainly thought you were better than _her_!” she jerked a thumb back towards the living room where his mother still sat.

“Look, you have no idea how sorry I am for hurting Mia.” Victor started to say and he found himself flinching as Pilar started to move to hit him again but paused. “And I told her everything last night after I came out to you guys.”

“And why didn’t you tell her right after it happened?” his sister retorted.

“I tried- I OW!” Pilar had punched him again. Victor was starting to think he would bruise soon if she didn’t stop.

“Trying isn’t good enough! You were able to write _Benji_ that letter. Where was Mia’s letter?”

Victor looked at his sister and saw that her eyes were brimming with tears. She continued.

“You were able to tell _Felix_. So why didn’t you tell **_Mia_**?!” She paused and then drove in the dagger “Or are you just as much a _coward_ as mom was?”

“That’s not fair Pilar! To either of us.” 

She scoffed. “Who **cares** about what’s fair? It’s not fair that you and mom get to be with whoever you want and hurt those who love you.”

She looked up at the ceiling and Victor saw tears starting to trail down her cheeks.

“Listen Victor. I’m proud of you for coming out. I am. But I thought you were better than this. You and I were so hurt when we found out about mom and Roger. You remember the basketball game-”

Victor fell silent. He remembered his behavior at the game all too well. He was still apologizing to his coach and the team for letting them down.

She continued. “You were the _one_ person I thought I could depend on. The _one_ person who was _truly_ good.”

Victor felt his heart starting to break. He didn’t want to cry, but he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry Pilar. You don’t even know how sorry I am. But I did speak with Mia. I told her everything. And she forgave me.”

“Well, she’s a better person than me.” Pilar said, wiping her eyes.

Victor froze. What was she saying?

“I can’t forgive this Victor. Not yet. You _hurt_ someone. You _used_ someone. And worst of all, you _knew_ it was wrong and you did it anyway.”

Now Victor felt the tears staining his cheeks. His sister continued, her voice quivered but she kept going.

“I get that you were confused. I _get_ how hard it was to come to terms with this part of yourself. And I don’t want you to think I don’t support your choice. I do. But your happiness came at the expense of someone else’s and that was **_so_ ** wrong.”

Victor didn’t know what to say. He knew it was. But he had meant what he said to Benji and so he repeated it to his sister.

“I **know** what I did. And I’m more sorry about it than you can ever imagine. And I will probably spend until my dying day trying to make it right to Mia. But I _refuse_ to look back on the past and let it define me. I am moving forward. And I get that you can’t forgive me right now- and I don’t blame you. But I hope one day you will understand.”

Pilar stood up quickly, looked at Victor and sighed, her arms fell down hard against her sides, indicating that she was done with this conversation.

“Actions speak louder than words hermano.” Pilar said. She turned and walked towards the door. As she opened it, she paused.

“I hope you did have a great date with Benji. I mean that. You deserve it.”

Victor looked at his sister, astounded at the two contrary positions she presented.

Pilar looked back at Victor. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow you’re talking to Adrian.”

Victor nodded. “Good Night. I love you.” 

“I love you too. You big dumb idiot.” She replied softly.

Then she was out the door and pulling it closed behind her, leaving Victor to absorb what had just happened.

He sat on the bed for several minutes staring at the door, Pilar’s hurtful words ringing around in his head.

She was right. He had known what he was doing and he did hurt Mia in his own selfish quest for happiness.

But didn’t he deserve happiness? Simon certainly thought so. Felix did. Benji of course thought he did. Even _Mia_ said as much when they talked. Who was Pilar to judge him?

He sighed. She was his sister and she had just as much right as anyone else to judge his actions. He knew she still loved him. That was obvious. But clearly, her hurt ran deeper than Victor could fix with an apology. 

Victor came to a terrible realization just then. Pilar was the first person he had hurt through his actions by association. He knew that it stemmed from her anger at his mother for her affair with Roger and their parents' subsequent lies. But where before she felt she could trust Victor with anything, she discovered instead that _he_ had been lying to her and behaving just like their parents. 

Pilar had not made many friends since they had moved. Her boyfriend had dumped her and she hated most of the kids at school. She had instead associated with Victor’s friend group. And that included Mia. 

Victor had not just hurt his friend. He’d hurt his _sister’s_ friend. And by extension, he’d hurt his sister.

He had no idea what to do next. How could he even begin to make it up to his sister. He still had no idea how he was going to make it up to Mia!

He lay back against the pillow, too tired to cry, but unable to fall asleep. Finally, he just decided he couldn’t solve this. But maybe Simon or his roommates could?

He pulled out his phone and started texting rapidly.

_Simon-_

_Tonight was the most amazing night of my life. It honestly felt like a fairy tale and I have met my Prince Charming._

_I promise that I will send all the ‘deets’ to the others, but I just wanted you to know that Benji and I are taking it slow and moving at a pace that we’re comfortable with. But when he kisses me- I now understand what you meant when you talked about kissing. It’s too soon to know where we’ll be, but right now this feels **right**. I’m sure of that. _

_Unfortunately, the night didn’t end as great. My sister and I finally had a chance to talk and Simon, she’s hurt about how I treated Mia. You always warned me that someone would get hurt. And after speaking with your parents today, I now know why. You hurt your friends to protect your secret. And I’m not judging. Believe me, if anyone gets it, I do. But I have no idea how to fix it Simon. She’s so mad at me. She accused me of being just like our parents. Lying to her and trying to hide things from her to protect myself._

_And here’s the thing: She’s right. She’s 100% right and I don’t know what to do. I did betray Mia’s trust. I did betray my sister’s trust. I did do it for my own selfish reasons just like my parents did. It was to protect me more than them. You know this and you warned me. And I didn’t listen._

_But Simon, tonight Benji tried to apologize to me. He claimed that subconsciously, he was the one pursuing me all this time. And even if that’s true, I don’t care. Because he freed me. I think I might even love him. I don’t know yet. I told him that I’m done letting the past define me. And I told Pilar that as well. And I mean it. But I don’t know how to move forward and make things right with Mia and Pilar. I know words are not enough. Pilar said actions speak louder but I have no idea what actions I can even take!_

_I just don’t know what to do Simon..._

_-Victor_

Victor sighed and set his phone on his end table. He got up and retrieved his pajamas from the dresser. He quickly changed into them and got into bed.

Pilar’s words had really cut him, but Victor knew she would only be the first. And she was the easy one. Still, as sleep came to claim him, Victor’s mind couldn’t help but drift back to his perfect evening with Benji. Emily’s words rang through his head.

_You deserve all that you want._

Victor drifted off into sleep, the last thing he remembered was Benji’s smiling face illuminated by the moonlight.

****

Victor awoke early the next morning with a groan. His right side was still a bit sore from where his sister had punched him. He gingerly lifted up his shirt and saw to his relief that while there was a bruise, it was small and already fading.

He sat up and reached for his phone. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7am on Sunday. And yet, he didn’t feel tired at all. He’d dreamed of Benji of course. They were out on a lake somewhere and Benji had been sitting playing the guitar. Victor tried to remember what the song was, but couldn’t. All he knew was that he felt so happy when he awoke.

And then he remembered what Pilar had said to him. He opened his DMs and to his great relief, his guru had already replied. Victor looked at the timestamp and realized that Simon had responded at nearly 3am. His heart warmed as he realized what that meant. For Simon to literally take the time so late at night to respond showed just how much he cared.

Victor opened the message and began to read.

_Victor-_

_That sounds like an amazing night. I’m so happy for you and for Benji. It sounds like you had a truly magical evening and you might even have the beginnings of that great love story we talked about. If this is that first chapter, congratulations. Know that there will be many more for you and that you **do** deserve it. Never doubt that. _

_As to your sister, I am sorry Victor. I should have told you many times about what happened when I came out. I’m glad that my parents were able to fill in those details, but you deserved to have heard them from me. I just felt that it was more important to focus on you and your needs over rehashing my past. My mistake was not realizing that if I had shared my story with you earlier, you could have seen just how much we have in common. And as you’ve learned, that’s both good and bad things._

_When my friend Leah found out that I knew Nick liked Abbey and I set her up with him anyway to protect myself, she called me cruel for setting her heart up to get broken. And she was right. It was a cruel thing to do to anyone. But to do it to my best friend of over ten years? It was unforgivable._

_And yet, Leah did forgive me. And she remains my own personal guru to this day. Yes Victor, even I need someone to talk to about all that’s going on in my life. And despite our distance, Leah and I remain in close contact. She’s another sister to me just like you have become like a brother. Leah forgave me because I gave her time to process what had happened and I made the effort multiple times to repair our relationship. And just like Mia, Pilar may need time and effort as well._

_It’s clear that she doesn’t hate you. So don’t waste time thinking that. But a betrayal of trust is hard. And rebuilding that trust takes a buy in from both sides. It’s healthy that you want to leave the past in the past and look forward. But not everyone will be so willing to let you. You said you don’t know what actions to take? I’m here to tell you that there is no_ **_one_ ** _action you can take. There is no one big action that will lead to your sister forgiving you. It’s a thousand smaller actions over the course of your day that will make the difference. If you put in the effort, eventually your sister will come to forgive you. I think you both know that she wants to. You just have to be patient and let her do it on her own terms._

_And I’m confident that she will Victor. Just as I’m confident Mia will. But you can’t force that no matter how much you may want to. And believe me, I get it. Those first few weeks after I was outed were awful. But my parents helped me get through it and I found unexpected allies from other students and my teachers. And I want you to know that despite our distance, I am here for you along with Bram, Justin, Ivy, and Kim._

_I know mom mentioned that we’re all coming down in a week. I hope we’ll see you and Benji. Just let us know when you can._

_Love,_

_Simon_

Victor finished reading and put the phone down on his end table. Simon was right of course. He couldn’t just do one grand action and hope to win his sister’s forgiveness. He was going to have to work at it, just as his parents were trying to do.

Luckily, Victor knew one action he could take immediately. He stood up and walked over to open his bedroom door. Peering out into the hallway, he didn’t hear anyone else.

Victor quietly made his way to the kitchen and began retrieving ingredients out of the refrigerator.

He retrieved a pan from the drawer and quickly got to work mixing up the pancake batter.

By the time his family awoke, Victor had nearly finished cooking.

“Pancakes!” Adrian shouted, running into the room and making a beeline for his chair.

“Smells good in here.” Armando observed. He walked over to his son and tousled his hair. Victor smiled.

“Thank you mijo.” Isabel said, kissing her son on the cheek.

Pilar looked over at Victor and he smiled at her. She just nodded and took a seat near Adrian.

Victor approached the table and began to serve the pancakes. For his parents and himself, he placed three pancakes on each plate. When he got to Adrian, he placed two special Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes on his younger brother’s plate.

“Thanks Victor!” Adrian exclaimed.

“No problem hermano.” he replied. He moved to Pilar’s plate next. She didn’t look up but moved slightly out of his way to give him better access.

He set three pancakes down. Each one had berries arranged in a smiley face. When his sister was younger, she used to love getting pancakes with faces on them.

Pilar let out a chuckle. She hadn’t expected that.

“Thanks.” she said. She looked up at Victor and gave him a half smile.

“Anytime.” Victor said, returning the smile. He walked back to the kitchen and set the pan down. Then he walked over and joined his family as they ate breakfast.

Breakfast proceeded mostly in silence as everyone was talked out. That is, everyone except for Adrian who spent the meal talking about all of the fun he and his sister had had the day before.

“And then Pilar took me to the arcade and I managed to win a prize on the basketball game!” he said. 

“Really?” Victor asked, emphasizing his surprise for his younger brother.

Adrian nodded and then looked at his sister for confirmation that he was in fact telling his family the truth.

“He sure did” Pilar said with a smile. “He managed one amazing basket.”

“Very impressive mijo.” Armando praised.

“Yeah. If you keep that up, maybe you can be on the basketball team when you get to high school.” Victor added.

His younger brother beamed at the compliment. He finished eating his pancakes and then looked at his parents.

“Can I go watch TV now?”

“Of course mi amor.” Isabel said with a smile.

Adrian bounded out of his chair and into the living room. Immediately the house was filled with the sound of the television.

**“Are you ready kids?!”** the TV blared.

“Aye Aye Captain!” Adrian shouted along with the TV.

Victor, Pilar and their parents cracked up into laughter as they heard Adrian singing along to _Spongebob Squarepants_.

After the laughter stopped, Victor’s father cleared his throat and looked at everyone.

“So, I received the apartment key this morning.”

Victor and his sister waited for their father to continue.

“Fortunately, it was left furnished. There’s a bed for Victor and one for me. There's a sofa and a few tables and chairs. I’ll do some shopping later this week for anything else.”

Pilar bowed her head, her eyes fixated on the unfinished meal in front of her. “When you are leaving?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

Armando looked to his wife and then to Victor. Victor’s eyes were locked onto his father. But where only a few days earlier Armando had seen trepidation and anger, his oldest instead looked at him with understanding and patience.

Their father let out a breath. “I was planning to start packing today. I want to talk to Adrian first, but I plan to start living there as of tomorrow.”

Pilar nodded, doing her best not to cry. Armando continued.

“Victor, it’s up to you when you want to move. I’ll leave a key for you and we can take some of your things up later today or we can wait until you’re ready. But we do need to tell your brother.”

Victor nodded. With everything going on, he had almost forgotten that his parents were still planning to go through with their separation. He glanced at his mother and his sister before turning back to face his father.

“I can be ready by tomorrow Papi. I’ll pack a small bag of my things this afternoon.”

Armando nodded and took a sip of coffee.

Isabel spoke up. “I know this hard for everyone. But your father and I wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think it was the best thing for everyone. And we’re not giving up. Mrs. Spier referred us to a colleague of hers. He’s a marriage counselor.”

Pilar said nothing. Victor could feel the anger radiating off of his sister.

“It’s fine.” She said. But everyone at the table knew it wasn’t fine.

Armando vocalized that. “No mija, it’s _not_ fine. And part of this is admitting that it's **not fine**. You _get_ to be angry. You _get_ to be sad. Your mother and I are sad. Your brother is too. But right now, your mother and I are not our best selves. And that’s not fair to you or your brothers.”

Isabel placed her hand on her husband’s hand and squeezed. She looked at her children, trying not to cry.

“I did a terrible thing Pilar. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for the hurt I caused you, your brothers, and your father. But I want to make it right. And your father wants that too. So we are going to take some time and work on ourselves. Because the truth is, there is a reason this happened. We were married so early and had you kids so early that we never had the time to work on our relationship.”

“And just like a plant” Armando continued, “a relationship needs attention and support. And we didn’t do that. Both of us. _I_ helped create the situation that lead your mother to seek comfort elsewhere. And _I_ own that. And, I know that I’m partly why Victor was so afraid to be himself-”

“-no Papi-” Victor started to interrupt, but his father held a hand up, asking his son to let him finish.

“I know that my behavior has hurt this family. The truth is that for a long time, I was unhappy. And when your mother and Roger-” he didn’t feel the need to add more and instead said. “-I thought a move away from Texas would solve everything. But you can’t run away from your problems. Victor, you have taught me that. I need to confront these things. Because if I don’t-”

He paused to look at his youngest son who was still enthralled by Spongebob, and then he looked back at his oldest son and daughter. “-then I won’t be the father you three deserve.”

Pilar sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. Victor realized his own eyes were watering and he blinked the tears back. His sister rose from her chair and went over to her father, wrapping her arms around his neck and weeping into his shoulder.

“It’s ok. It’s ok mija. Just know that your mother and I love you so much. We’re doing this to be better _for_ you. And I’m not sad about that Pilar. I would do anything for you and your brothers.”

At this, Victor rose from his chair as well and joined his sister, hugging both her and her father. Pilar did not stop him, and Victor felt her arm wrapped tightly around his back as she pulled him in, her hair dangerously close to getting caught in his mouth as they continued to hug their father.

Isabel sat at the table watching the scene and quietly sobbed into her napkin. She didn’t know how she was ever going to undo the hurt she had caused, but she was determined to try. 

Seeing his mother crying, Victor nudged his sister and looked at her. She followed Victor’s gaze, then looked back and him and nodded. The two pulled away from their father and proceeded to hug their mother. At this, Isabel descended into sobs clutching her children as tight as possible.

“What’s going? Why is mami crying?” Adrian asked.

Everyone spun around to see Adrian standing at the entry looking concerned.

“I’m okay mijo.” Isabel said, wiping the tears from her eyes and trying to quickly compose herself.

Armando looked at his youngest and got up slowly from his chair. He bent down so he was eye level with Adrian.

“Hey mijo. We need to talk to you about something.” He rose from his position and gestured to the living room. Adrian headed toward the couch. Armando tried to remember all of the things Emily had advised them to do when speaking with Adrian. The main thing was trying to keep it simple.

Armando sat down on the couch and lifted his son onto his lap. He groaned as he felt the weight of his youngest. He was getting too big for this his father realized. His youngest was nearly a teenager himself. 

Isabel sat down next to Armando and put a hand on Adrian’s shoulder. Victor and Pilar came into the room and sat in the chairs opposite the couch. Pilar turned the TV off and waited for her father to speak.

Armando shifted his son’s position so that both he and his wife could better face him.

“Adrian, your mother and I love you and your siblings very much.” he started to say. “And we want to be the best parents that we can be for you three.”

He let that sink in and continued. “But lately, mami and I have not been at our best. And in order to get better, I need to leave the apartment for a little while.”

Adrian looked at his parents, perplexed. “Why? Are you sick?” 

Armando shook his head. “No son. Not exactly.” he sighed and looked at Pilar and Victor. “You know how sometimes your brother and sister get on each other’s nerves and they argue?”

Adrian nodded. "That's not good."

“You're right. It's not." Armando paused to let his son absorb that and then said "Well, mami and I have been arguing lately. And that’s not good for our family. So, we are taking some time away from each other so we can fix that.”

Adrian still didn’t seem to understand, looking at both his parents with a confused expression.

Finally, he looked up at his parents and asked. “Is this because Victor is gay?”

Everyone fell silent. Victor’s jaw dropped.

“Honey, where did you hear that?” Isabel asked.

“I heard Victor tell you when he got back from the dance.” Adrian answered.

Victor covered his mouth with his hand. He felt Pilar grab his wrist for support.

His parents looked to Victor and then back at Adrian.

“Honey, do you know what ‘gay’ means?” Isabel asked.

“It means Victor is a fairy.” Adrian said proudly.

Armando’s jaw dropped in horror. He knew _exactly_ where his youngest had heard those words. 

Pilar was squeezing Victor’s wrist, keeping him steady as he started to shake in horror. He’d heard those words of course before. But he never expected to hear them from his little brother.

Isabel was speechless. Adrian looked at his mother, realizing he had done something wrong.

“What’s wrong mami? I think it’s pretty cool that Victor’s a fairy. I want to be a fairy too. I already have my wand!”

Victor cringed. He hoped that years later, he would be able to look back on this moment and laugh. But right now, he was horrified. His parents were stunned into silence and Pilar had a vice grip on his arm.

Finally, Victor spoke up.

“Adrian, come here buddy.”

Adrian hopped off his father’s lap and walked over to his older brother. Victor got down from his chair and got on both knees so that he was eye level with his brother. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Adrian, I know you didn’t mean it, but the way you used that word can actually be very hurtful.” Victor explained slowly.

“I don’t get it. You are one though right?”

Victor’s heart hurt and he could see the pain on his parent’s faces.

“No buddy. Not in the way you think.” Victor said patiently.

Adrian’s face fell. He had looked forward to seeing his brother cast spells and fly like in the movies.

Victor settled into a cross legged position on the floor and gently pulled his brother down to sit opposite from him.

“Adrian, you know how I was dating Mia?”

His brother nodded. “You _like_ her.” he said with a smile.

Victor forced a smile as well. “Right. Well, I do still like Mia, but more like a friend. Like Felix.”

Adrian nodded. He understood that. Victor continued.

“But the person I really _like_ , his name is Benji. He’s a boy from school.”

Adrian’s face scrunched up in confusion. “But, boys like girls.” he said matter-of-factly. Adrian looked at his family, surprised at their reactions. Everyone knew that.

“Sometimes,” Victor said carefully, “boys like other boys. And sometimes girls like other girls.”

His brother stared at him, trying to absorb what Victor was saying. Victor looked at his parents. His mother had tears streaking down her cheeks and his father was doing his best to blink back tears of his own. Their worst fears had been confirmed. Prejudice had entered their house and poisoned their family.

Pilar got up from her chair and sat down next to Victor and Adrian.

“Victor is still Victor.” Pilar explained, “He just like boys instead of girls. That's all.”

“So he kisses boys?” Adrian asked.

Victor paused and then nodded. Every question from his brother was like a stab wound in his heart.

“I don’t like kissing! Kissing is gross.” Adrian replied. Though he didn't want to, Victor forced himself to laugh for his brother's sake. He knew what his brother meant, but the ignorance that they had allowed him to grow up around was impossible to ignore.

“Have you kissed Benji?” Adrian asked. Victor nearly choked.

“Adrian! Honey, it’s rude to ask that.” Isabel said, jumping in.

Adrian looked back at his mother. He didn’t understand why. He saw boys and girls kissing at school all the time. Why did it matter if his brother kissed Benji?

“Sorry Victor.” Adrian said. “I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal.”

Victor felt his brother's words cause his eyes to water. He was so innocent. He truly didn’t know what he was saying. Victor took his brother’s hand and squeezed it.

“I know buddy. But, it’s a big deal to some people because not everyone thinks that boys should be allowed to like boys in that way.” 

“Why?”

“Well”, Victor said, trying to figure out how to best explain all of this, “A lot of them were taught that boys can only like girls.”

Adrian nodded. “That’s what we learn in school and CCD.”

Victor cringed. Of course they did. That’s what he had learned in Texas as well. That was the root of the problem. Adrian, like so many others, had been taught that boys liking girls was the only way. And CCD religious education classes had only reinforced that narrative as God's directive. That a man and a woman were the _natural_ way and that anything else was _unnatural_.

Victor wanted to throw up. He felt like he had been poisoned. But he forced himself to stay there looking at his brother.

Armando spoke up, his voice soft and shaking as he spoke. “Adrian, not everything you learn about life is going to be taught in school.” he said.

Adrian was thoroughly confused. “So is it okay that Victor likes boys?” he asked, exasperated by the whole conversation.

“Yes!” Pilar, Isabel, Armando, and Victor all said in unison.

Adrian was satisfied. “Okay." He paused and looked at his family. "So if Papi isn’t leaving because Victor’s gay, why is he leaving?”

Victor turned back to his parents. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

“It’s complicated sweetheart.” his mother replied.

Adrian looked at his mother with frustration. Whenever adults couldn’t explain something, they always called it complicated to avoid answering. 

Pilar took Adrian’s free hand and held it firmly.

“Papi and Mami need to do this so they can make our family stronger.” She started to say. She looked over at her mother. “They need us to be strong so that they can take time to get better.”

Adrian looked at his sister and nodded. He still didn’t get it completely, but he trusted Pilar.

“Come here." Pilar said. Adrian stood up and his sister engulfed him in a hug. She released him and then directed Adrian over to his big brother. Victor pulled Adrian into a hug and rubbed his back.

“I’m happy you like Benji Victor. He seemed nice at your birthday.” Adrian said.

Victor smiled and squeezed his brother a bit tighter. “Thank you buddy. I love you. Okay?”

Victor released his brother and looked him in the eyes. Adrian smiled.

“Okay. I love you too.” he resumed the hug and Victor looked at his parents. Both of them were crying.

Victor felt tears in his eyes and continued to fight them back. He knew his brother loved him. But to hear _those words_ come from him had been hard. And he knew that sooner or later, he would need to speak to the person who used those words in front of Adrian.

On the couch, Armando watched his sons hugging and wiped at his eyes. His family had been through so much and it seemed just as they were trying to heal, more hurt kept coming their way.

He knew where his youngest had heard those words. It was his side of the family who referred to gay people that way. Specifically his father. Armando wracked his brain trying to recall if he himself had ever used those words in front of his sons. To his utter shame and horror, he could not recall for certain. He made a mental note to speak with Victor after this. Regardless of whether he had said those words or not, he was still responsible for letting them get into this house and poison his son's mind. He had allowed his father to speak that way in front of his children. He had to make it right.

He looked at his wife and she met his eyes. He knew she was thinking the same thing of course. Isabel already had a rocky relationship with his parents. It seemed that she was never good enough for his mother and his father treated her as little more than a waitress during family gatherings, barely paying her any attention. Armando knew that this was just one of the reasons his marriage had suffered. In order to truly heal it, he would need to speak with his parents. He wasn’t sure when that would be, but he knew it needed to happen sooner than later not just for his sake, but for Victor’s as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, that was a hard chapter to write. But part of what makes Love, Victor so appealing to me is that things are not perfect. There are obstacles in Victor's path and it's part of how he overcomes those obstacles and grows that makes him so endearing.
> 
> So yeah, Pilar is mad at him. And she accepts him. Because she is his sister and she can have more than one emotion. 
> 
> And Adrian, poor innocent Adrian has no idea what he is saying and it breaks his family's heart to hear him use such hurtful words without understanding their full meaning. 
> 
> And on top of this, there's the separation. So yeah, Victor may have had a fairy tale date and he may have acceptance from friends and family, but there are still a lot of hurt feelings and a lot more work to be done.


	8. Creeksecrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benji reached over and frowned. It was not a text from Victor.
> 
> Campbell. We need to meet. - Andrew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A chapter that gives us Benji's point of view?

The stereo in Benji’s room continued to play _Call Me Maybe_ on a loop as he worked at his desk. Benji sat in his chair, wearing a white tank top and black jeans. His bare feet tapped along with the rhythm as he moved his pencil across the paper effortlessly, working quickly to sketch out the figure he was drawing.

Last night had been amazing. Benji had never felt that way with Derek. Derek had mocked Benji and made him feel bad for being a romantic. He would have scoffed at the idea of a moonlight swim, preferring instead to go watch another band perform or to watch TV at home.

On reflection, Benji could not believe how utterly unhappy he had felt being with Derek. He truly had felt like he was failing him at times. He had felt bad about himself. He had felt like drinking on more than a few occasions. He even came close after a particularly bad conversation the night of the winter carnival.

Benji had seen Victor go on the Ferris Wheel with Mia. And he had heard of the infamous Creekwood legend where Simon Spier rode the Ferris Wheel until Bram Greenfield joined him and how they had kissed. Benji had even watched the grainy videos on the internet where everyone was cheering. So naturally, ever the romantic, Benji had asked Derek if he would like to go on the Ferris Wheel.

When Derek had refused, not for any good reason like a fear of heights but instead because he didn’t feel like it, Benji had tried to share the story of Simon Spier and get him to appreciate the romantic aspect. Derek had scoffed and derided the story, pointing out that Bram likely _had_ to kiss Simon because the whole school was watching and that they probably broke up right after high school because high school romances rarely last.

And that’s what Derek seemed to keep reminding Benji. That they were not endgame. Derek never saw their relationship as a long lasting one. He didn’t quite say it, but his actions showed it. He didn’t care about anniversaries or romance. He hid behind the ideas that these were just ‘straight stereotypes’ but Benji knew the truth: Derek just didn’t care. He didn’t care enough about Benji. It was nice in Derek’s mind to have a boyfriend. Someone for him to kiss. But Derek had wanted more than just kissing. And Benji-

Benji was not ready for that. He was sure everyone assumed that just because he was gay, he and Derek had sex. But that wasn’t the case. Yes, before he had come out, Benji did have sex with girls. But that was it. Derek had certainly tried to signal that he wanted to move beyond kissing on more than one occasion. But Benji always hesitated. It just never felt right. Looking back, he now realized that it was _Derek_ that never felt right to him.

And yet, Derek had held him back. Benji knew he should have broken up with Derek months earlier, before Victor had even arrived at Creekwood. But Benji was scared. He had never been in a real relationship before, let alone been out as a gay man. Derek was his first boyfriend. But not, he now realized, his first love.

That was the person whose face he could not get out of his mind. That was who Benji was effortlessly drawing on the paper in front of him. His first love. _His_ Victor.

A knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. He lowered his pencil and turned his stereo down. 

“It’s open.” he said.

The door opened slowly and Benji’s mother peered in from the doorway.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

Benji nodded, rotating in his chair to face his mother. She walked in and glanced down at the drawing Benji was in the middle of.

“This is Victor?” she asked, her voice filled with warmth. Benji had told her all about the dance and she had helped him get things to the swimming hole since he still couldn’t drive. She knew her son was a romantic and she encouraged it because she too was a sucker for romance.

Her son looked down at the drawing and she could see his face beaming as he looked.

“Yeah mom. That’s Victor.”

“He looks very handsome, sweetheart.” she observed. Benji was an excellent artist, but the picture he was working on now was incredibly detailed despite the lack of any reference picture nearby. She realized that it was all coming from his memory.

“He is.” Benji chuckled.

His mother looked around, trying to decide whether to keep standing, but eventually deciding to sit on the end of her son’s unmade bed.

Before sitting, she picked up his discarded clothes from the night prior and placed them in the hamper at the edge of his bed. Benji however wasn’t looking. He was focused on his drawing, trying to figure out what it was missing.

Finally, his mother sat down on the bed and sighed.

“Honey, I’m so glad that you’re happy. I know your father and I weren’t as supportive as you would have liked these last few months. But Derek-”

“He wasn’t good for me mom. I know that now.” Benji said, spinning around to face her. 

His mother sighed in relief. That was one less thing to worry about. “But honey, you and Victor seem to be moving very quickly. You and Derek just broke up on Friday. And you told me that Victor has not even come out yet-”

“He told his family Friday night. And most of his friends know now.” Benji answered.

His mother paused. That was fast. “Did he say how it went?” she asked. 

She had remembered when Benji had come out to her and her husband. They were sitting around a hospital bed, panicked at what had become of their son after he had driven through a Wendy’s. When he finally told them, Benji’s mother had sobbed for hours- not because her son was gay. She was just so relieved to finally know what had caused such self-destructive behavior. But now, after a lot of work, Benji was in a good place. True, she and her husband had worried about Derek and how he had treated their son. But Derek was gone now. She just wanted to make sure that Victor wasn’t going to treat Benji the same way.

“Victor said it went well. His parents are still trying to process it fully, but they’ve been really supportive. They allowed him to stay past his curfew to help me clean up last night.” Benji smiled at the memory. Victor refused to let Benji just clean up the store on his own. He insisted on helping him so he would not risk Sarah’s wrath.

“That’s good honey. I can see how happy he makes you.” his mom said. And it was true. Her son had not stopped smiling since Friday night.

“Mom, I never felt this way before. I know I didn’t say it in front of you or dad, but Derek- he made me feel bad about myself a lot of the time. He made me feel bad for wanting to be romantic or celebrate milestones like our one year anniversary.” Benji blinked back tears as he said it.

On the bed, his mother’s heart ached. “Oh honey, I wish you had said something. No one has the right to make you feel that way.”

Benji nodded. “I know that. But at the time, I just-I was afraid.” he swallowed and looked at his mother. Her face was etched with concern but she remained rooted to the bed, waiting for him to continue.

“But with Victor-” he breathed. And again he found himself smiling. “Mom, he makes me feel like I can just be myself and that it’s okay. He doesn’t put me down. He encourages me. I can’t remember the last time anyone has made me feel that happy.”

His mother stood up and waited for her son to do the same. He walked into her open arms and as soon as his head hit her chest, she pulled him tight, resting her head against his.

“Honey, I am so glad that Victor makes you feel this way.” She looked down so that their eyes met. “You know your father and I only want you to be happy. And if you are happy with Victor, we’ll support you any way that we can.”

“Thank you mom. He’s really great. I want you to meet him. Soon. I promise.” His mother relaxed her grip and he pulled away slightly. “He’s just kind of... grounded right now.”

He laughed and his mother did as well. “Well, when he is able to come to the house, I hope you will invite him over for dinner. I know your father would love to meet him as well.”

Benji nodded. Despite having now been out for some time, Benji’s father was still a bit funny about this whole thing. Like he had told Victor, it wasn’t like they were estranged, but the relationship was different ever since he came out. Benji realized he had used that excuse as a reason not to bring Derek to the house much. Still, he wanted his parents to know Victor. Victor was a huge part of Benji’s life now and he wanted his parents to know him the way he did. Victor was awesome and Benji wanted the world to know it if he could. But he would settle for his parents for right now.

“I’ll let you finish your drawing. I love you honey.”

“Thanks mom. I love you too.”

His mother kissed his forehead and then tousled his hair, causing a few strands to go into his eyes. She then turned to leave and pulled the door shut behind her.

Benji pushed his hair out of his eyes and turned back to resume his drawing. As he was about to put pencil back to paper, his phone buzzed. Benji reached over and frowned. It was not a text from Victor.

_Campbell. We need to meet. - Andrew_

Andrew and Benji were not friends. He didn’t even realize that Andrew had this number. He wasn’t sure why Andrew wanted to meet, but he was sure it had to do with Victor and Mia. He sighed and quickly typed a reply.

_Brasstown. 20 minutes._

Benji quickly put on his boots and grabbed his leather jacket out of his closet.

Putting his phone in his pocket and grabbing his house keys, he opened the door and let his mom know that he was running to meet a friend at Brasstown and would be back later.

****

Benji arrived at Brasstown less than 20 minutes later. Wearing his green basketball jacket, Andrew was already sitting at a table when Benji walked in. He had picked a table far away from the other patrons likely so no one could hear what they were discussing.

Benji nodded to him as he approached.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“You better sit down Campbell.” Andrew said. Benji could tell from the tone of voice that this was serious.

He sat down in the chair and leaned across the table.

“Andrew, what’s going on?” he asked.

Andrew’s eyes darted around the room. Once he was sure no one else was listening, he pulled out his phone and set it face down on the table. Benji looked from the phone to Andrew waiting for an explanation.

“Look Campbell, I don’t like Salazar much. He just rubbed me the wrong way when he got here. And maybe that part is on me. But he also hurt someone I care for deeply.”

Benji nodded. “Andrew, a part of that is on _me_.” he admitted.

“I know. And honestly, I never had a problem with you being.. you know.”

“Gay. Andrew. It’s okay. You can say it.”

“Anyway, I overheard the two of you talking the night of the dance. And Salaz- Victor” he corrected himself. “Victor promised me that he would tell Mia the next day.”

Benji nodded. “That was the plan. But then I sort of ruined it.”

Andrew’s eyes were cold but his tone was steady. “I know. Mia told me _that_ too.. I took her home.”

Andrew sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I really care for Mia. I don’t want to be a rebound guy for her. I want to _be_ her guy.”

Benji understood. But that still didn’t explain why Andrew had contacted him. He continued to wait for that explanation.

“And I can’t be that guy until Mia and Victor work their shit out.” Andrew explained.

“Mia and Victor spoke that night. She needs time, but she did forgive him.” Benji said, recalling what Victor had told him.

“I know. I spoke with her too.” Andrew sighed. He flipped his phone over and pulled up an app.

He slid the phone across to Benji.

“But then I got this.”

Benji’s eyes narrowed and he looked down at the phone and began reading. It was a Creeksecrets post. But, it looked like a screenshot and not the actual post.

“After that incident where that kid was outed a few years back, apparently the school put measures in place to stop anonymous posts. Ms. Albright contacted me about this. She thought I had written it.”

Benji continued scrolling through the post and raised his head to look at Andrew. “This hasn’t been posted then?”

Andrew shook his head. “No. Albright caught it and deleted it. She’s effectively shut the site down for now.”

Benji looked back at the article. It was written anonymously, but it was an article that outed Victor. The article didn’t go so far as to name him, but anyone reading between the lines could figure it out. It talked about the disappearance of the king and queen at the dance, it mentioned Brasstown. It even mentioned Benji’s band performing _Call Me Maybe_. Reading on, Benji knew that anyone who knew Victor at school could figure out that this post was all about him.

“Benji, this would destroy Mia and Victor.” Andrew said.

Benji nodded, still reading through it. He looked up at Andrew with determination in his eyes.

“We have to stop it from getting out.” 

“I know. And I think _you_ know who we have to see.” Andrew said calmly. Benji saw the same fire in Andrew’s eyes.

Benji nodded. He couldn’t believe it. After all the hurt he had endured, that _he_ could then turn around and do this to Victor and to him. He was furious. A part of Benji wanted to kill him.

****

Victor heard a panicked knock at the door. He was in the kitchen making his brother a sandwich for lunch. Setting down the knife and grabbing a towel to wipe off the peanut butter from his hands, he checked to make sure his brother was fine, then made his way to the door and opened it.

Lake was standing there, looking fashionable as ever with a pink top, black jacket, black skirt and tall boots. Her body was a bundle of nerves.

“We need to talk.” she said.

Victor blinked. “Ok. Come in.” he said. “I’m just making lunch for my brother.”

“Is anyone else here?” Lake asked, peering around the hallway.

Victor shook his head. His parents and Pilar had gone out for lunch. He assumed they wanted time to talk with her about everything that had happened.

Victor motioned for Lake to follow him into the kitchen. He finished making the sandwich and brought the plate to his brother in the living room. 

“Hey Adrian, Lake and I have to talk real quick. We’ll be at the dining room table if you need us. Okay?”

Adrian, eyes never leaving the TV, just nodded his head. “Sure.” he said.

Victor set the plate down and turned to motion Lake to the dining room table.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Lake took several deep, cleansing breaths. Victor watched her, concerned about whatever it was that had her in such a state.

“Felix and Mia told me. And while I am so, SO mad about you cheating on my BFF, I’m happy for you and Benji. You two make a totes adorable couple. And we are sooo gonna double date when this is all over.”

As usual, Lake was talking a mile a minute. Victor just nodded. What did she mean _When this is all over?_

Lake pulled out her phone and showed Victor a text message.

“Andrew received an email from VP Albright this morning. She had thought he posted an article on Creeksecrets anonymously. A post that outed you.”

Victor froze. What did she just say? He was outed? Just like Simon? He felt all color leave his body and sweat began to bead along his forehead.

He felt Lake’s hand on his own. She squeezed his wrist.

“Albright stopped the post Victor.” Lake said, breaking into his thoughts and calming him down. 

“She what? She can do that?”

“Yeah, she demanded final approval of all anonymous posts after Simon Spier was outed years ago by some loser kid.”

“So she knows.” Victor said. He thought about it. He supposed that was fine. He didn’t really care if the Vice Principal knew. Everyone would know soon enough.

Lake nodded. “She does. And she is _furious_ with whoever tried to post it.”

“Andrew.” Victor said. His heart sank. He had trusted him. He really believed Andrew when he had said he wouldn't tell anyone. He had believed Mia when she had stood up for him. And he had betrayed that trust.

“No!” Lake said, again snapping him out of his thoughts. “Not Andrew. _He’s_ the one who figured it out.”

Victor looked at Lake, completely perplexed.

Lake sighed dramatically. “Think about it Victor! Who knows that you are gay? Felix would never tell a soul- well except me but you let him so... And Mia would sooner die than hurt you- despite the fact that you _totally crushed her heart beneath your foot_. Sorry! Andrew is trying to be better for Mia so he promised not to hurt you. And Benji is dating you. And _you_ certainly didn’t do this. So who does that leave?”

Victor paused and thought long and hard. The answer was obvious and he felt himself go cold inside.

“Derek.” he said.

Lake nodded. “Bingo!”

Victor put his face into his hands and groaned.

“Hey…” Lake said, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing it. “It’s OK. We’ve stopped him.”

“For now.” Victor pointed out.

Lake sighed. She opened her messenger app and sent a quick text.

Seconds later, Victor and Lake could hear a commotion outside as the recipient of Lake’s text ran down the stairs. Felix burst through the apartment door like a man on a mission and ran over to Victor, grabbing him in a bear hug and practically pulling him out of his chair.

“I'm here buddy! I’ve got you.” Felix said.

“I’m okay Felix. Really.” Victor protested.

“No no. You’re not okay. I’ve got you. Shh shh.” Felix said, continuing to hug his friend as he flailed around.

“Felix, honey. He can’t breathe.” Lake pointed out, noticing that Victor’s face was turning red.

“What? Oh right!” He released his arms and Victor gasped for air. “Sorry about that.”

Victor waved him off. “It’s OK. It’s OK.”

He looked back into the living room and saw that Adrian had not bothered to react to anything that had just happened. His eyes remained glued to the TV, only pausing long enough to take a bite out of his sandwich.

“I’m gonna…” Felix said, his face flushing red with embarrassment. “Uh… go….and...uh. Be right back” he walked over to the apartment and gently closed the still open front door. “Sorry about that.” he said, walking back to the table and cringing.

Victor looked at Lake who just rolled her eyes. She waited until Felix joined them at the table before she continued speaking.

“So Victor, what’s next?” she asked. “Are you coming out to everyone?”

Victor looked from Felix back to Lake and nodded. “I am.”

Lake sighed. “Okay, that makes it easier. Do you know when?” she asked.

Victor let out a breath. “I mean, I guess this week. I wanted to talk to Mia and Benji first. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

Lake nodded. “I’ll talk to Mia. It’s gonna hurt for a bit no matter what Victor. You **did** embarrass her quite a bit by stringing her along.”

“It wasn’t like that Lake! Really. I thought I liked Mia like that. I did. I just… I realized I didn’t.”

Lake held up a hand to stop him. “I know. Felix and Mia told me what happened. I still think you should have told her sooner. And _definitely_ **_before_ ** you were crowned king and queen at the dance, but I get it. And if Mia can forgive you, so can I.”

Victor sighed. Still, he knew Lake was right. Simon’s words came back to him. 

_It’s healthy that you want to leave the past in the past and look forward. But not everyone will be so willing to let you._

He just wanted to move forward. Why was that so difficult? 

Lake looked at him and continued.

“That absence was noticed Victor. You’re lucky that Felix and I were able to distract them for a while, but everyone’s going to be asking questions tomorrow when you and Mia aren’t seen holding hands or talking.”

Victor groaned. Lake was absolutely right. High school was full of gossip and people would talk. There was no way someone wouldn’t notice that Mia and Victor were not together.

He looked at Lake and Felix and held out his palms. “What should I do?” 

Lake looked at Felix, trying to think of a way to make this easier on the people she cared about most.

“We need to rip the gay band aid off. It’s going to sting for a while, but it’ll be better than trying to do this a piece at a time.”

Felix laid a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Assuming that’s what you want buddy.”

Victor sighed. When did he ever get what he wanted? All he had wanted to do was be himself without hurting others. And he had failed spectacularly at it.

“I need to call Benji.” He said.

Lake started to protest but Victor already had his phone out. He opened his contacts and pushed Benji’s number. It went straight to voicemail.

“Benji. It’s Victor. Please call me when you get this. I need to talk to you.”

He hung up and tried texting him

_B- Call me. It’s important._

Victor stared at his phone for several minutes. Benji didn’t respond. Victor sighed. Benji never took this long. Where could he be?

He looked back at Lake and Felix and shrugged his shoulders. 

“He’s not picking up.”

Lake looked at Felix. Victor noticed her biting her lip.

“Lake?” Felix asked.

“Andrew went to see Benji about the post. I didn’t see his message until I was already over here.”

Victor’s eyes went wide. Benji _knew_. And Benji would know _who_ wrote the post. Which meant that Benji was on his way to see Derek right now. If he wasn’t already there that is.

“Call Andrew.” Victor ordered.

Lake nodded and pulled out her phone. She put it on speakerphone as Andrew’s phone also went straight to voicemail.

Victor leaned forward with his head in his hands. Felix had his arm over Victor’s shoulder.

“Hey man, it’ll be okay. They’ll be okay. You’ll see.”

“This is all my fault Felix! I ruin everything I touch.” Victor muttered.

“Hey! No you don’t!” Lake exclaimed before Felix could even respond. She smacked Victor hard in the shoulder, causing him to yelp.

“You listen to me Victor Salazar! Without you, I never would have found this man.” she pointed to Felix who gave a silent wave to Victor and smiled. Victor snorted. Lake continued.

“And while things are tough now, if you asked her Mia would tell you that you have made her life better. You are such a caring person Victor. The problem is that you kept putting the happiness of others before your own because you didn’t want to hurt people.”

Felix looked at his best friend and shrugged. “She’s right man. You do that. I mean look at me. Before you, I didn’t have a best friend. I was just ‘lone stone’ the kid that everyone made fun of at school. But you didn’t care about any of that. You accepted me for me.”

Victor felt his eyes starting to water.

“And Benji was miserable before he met you.” Felix added. “You told me what he said. Remember?”

“Yeah. And so what if Derek is mad? Derek treated Benji like dirt. He deserved better. He deserved you.” Lake said.

Victor stared at Lake in amazement. That was the nicest thing she had ever said to him.

“Thanks Lake. Really.” he replied.

Lake shrugged. “I **am** still mad at you. But you are Felix’s best friend and you are my friend too. So…”

She opened up her phone and looked at Victor and Felix, “What do you want to do now?”

Victor fell silent. He had no idea what he wanted. All he wanted right now was to know that Benji was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...
> 
> As always, your comments are appreciated. Thank you.


	9. Derek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benji confronts Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for your comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated
> 
> Currently, my goal is to continue to update nightly as long as I am able.

If one were looking at the two boys as they approached the house, it would be impossible to tell who was more angry. The boys had parked on the street and were walking up the driveway, their bodies seething with rage.

That righteous anger was the first thing Derek saw as he walked out of his garage and set his guitar down. He looked at Benji and crossed his arms.

“What do you want?” He sneered.

Benji stopped in his tracks, keeping enough distance from Derek so he wouldn’t be tempted to hit him. Still, he found his fists were balled up, ready to fight if it came to that.

“I think you know.” Benji replied, doing his best to keep his voice even.

Derek shrugged. “I don’t have any of your things if that’s what this is.”

“You submitted a post on Creeksecrets.” Andrew said, wasting no time. He didn’t have patience for any lies Derek might have had ready.

“So what if I did?” Derek asked, his eyes now fixated on Andrew.

Benji froze. Derek didn't outright deny it. He wrote it. Benji felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had trusted Derek. They had spent a year of their lives together and yet it seemed to mean nothing to him. He thought nothing about ruining someone else's life just to get back at Benji.

Andrew did his best to keep his cool. “That post could hurt the person I care most in this world about.” he replied.

Derek spread his arms, “I don’t see how that is my problem kid.”

And there it was. That same disinterest that Derek always seemed to have. He didn’t _care_ that his actions hurt people. He would chalk it up to breaking stereotypes, but Benji had realized the truth was that Derek was just a miserable person. And Benji deserved better. He deserved Victor.

“Derek, I’m sorry for hurting you. I am. But please let this be between you and me. If you want to say something to me, I’m here. I’m listening. But leave my friends out of this.”

Andrew looked at Benji, unsure what to do next. He was more than prepared to take Derek. Hell, a part of him would like nothing more than to lay his fists into that smug face. He felt powerless that he couldn't help Mia get over Victor. He couldn't hit Victor. He knew Victor didn't mean to hurt Mia. But he could hurt Derek. And he would enjoy that.

Derek gazed at Benji for several minutes. He said nothing. He looked back at Andrew and saw the teen look at him with hate in his eyes. He needed to cool off.

“You’re right. This is between us.” He turned to Andrew and sat “Get lost.”

“Oh no. I am staying right here. I am not letting you two out of my sight.” Andrew promised. He continued to stare the other man down. He felt a fire in his stomach, slowly burning hotter as each minute ticked by.

Benji could see that now Andrew’s fists were balled. If he did not calm this situation down, someone was going to get hurt. He looked back at Derek and said "He stays."

“Fine. Have it your way.” Derek said. He remained where he was standing but he turned his body slightly to better face Benji.

“You cheated on me. And then you dumped me. And then I hear you and that kid are together and kissing right after?” 

Benji sighed. “Yes. That’s true.”

Derek extended his hand, pointing his index finger at him “You hurt me Benji. A lot.”

He motioned to the guitar. “And not to mention, you hurt the band.”

Benji swallowed. Of course deep down, he knew that the band would be a problem because of how their relationship ended, but he hadn’t spent any time really thinking about it. Perhaps he should have. It wasn't fair to the others that he had cheated on Derek and dumped him. But how could they move forward right now. Especially if Derek didn't back down. Benji knew he needed to be the bigger person for all involved, but especially for Victor. He had to protect Victor.

“I’m sorry Derek. I am. But you hurt me too.”

Derek looked at him and blinked. Benji had said something to this effect before. He’d said it again on Friday when they broke up. It might be true that he had been insensitive. But he'd never cheated on Benji. _He'd_ been faithful.

“So because I hurt you, that justifies your turning around and hurting me?” he asked.

Benji shook his head. “No. I didn’t say it did. But isn’t that what you did with this post? Isn’t that the very problem with our relationship? All we did was  _ hurt  _ each other Derek. That’s not healthy!”

Benji resolved not to cry. He refused to waste a single tear on Derek. He kept his voice steady and continued.

“And to out Victor like this! You know how hard it was for me to come out! You know how hard it was for yourself and our friends! Why would you take that choice away from him? I get you’re mad and you’re hurt. And that's fair. I hurt you. But Victor was honest with you at the dance. He tried to keep us together.  _ I _ was the one who chose to end it. So if you want to take your anger out on someone, I’m the one you should be angry at.”

He felt Andrew watching him carefully, but he continued.

“I’m the one who let him kiss me. I'm the one who started to kiss him back. I’m the one who chose not to tell you after it happened. I’m the one who didn’t speak up about how I truly felt in this relationship. I’m the one who lied to you.”

Benji paused as Derek fell silent. He took a breath and continued.

“You made me feel bad about myself for a long time Derek. I’m sorry that I cheated on you. But the truth is, our relationship was over long before I kissed Victor.”

Derek stared at him. Benji thought he saw the other man’s eyes glisten with the start of tears. But Derek blinked rapidly and they vanished.

“So if you wanted out, why did you wait until you were caught to end it?” Derek finally asked, again crossing his arms over his chest.

Benji spread his hands. “Because I was scared. You were my first boyfriend. I was scared to end it. But I should have. I know that now.”

Benji took a cautious step forward. “And I’m sorry for hurting you. I really am.”

Derek looked down at the ground and kicked a stray pebble with his shoe.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel bad about yourself.” he said quietly, still looking down at the pebble. He finally looked up and into Benji’s face and sighed. “I know you liked being romantic and I guess I should have been more accepting of that. I shouldn’t have shot you down when you did nice things for us.”

Benji exhaled. “Thank you for saying that. Really.”

Derek nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. He turned to look at Andrew.

“I won’t post anything else. And I’ll delete the original. Okay?”

Andrew relaxed his fists. He nodded.

Derek turned to look at Benji. He could see by the way he carried himself that something was different. Benji had never been this confident around him. Briefly, Derek wondered about the damage he had caused. Had he really hurt Benji so much?

If so, then the best thing he could do is set him free. Benji deserved that much. And regardless of how things ended, Derek did still care about Benji’s happiness.

“I hope he makes you happy Benji. You deserve that. We all do.”

Benji looked at him and nodded. “He does. And you’re right Derek. We all deserve someone that makes us happy. I hope you find your person.”

Derek inclined his head, acknowledging his ex. The conversation now done, he turned on his heel and went back into the garage, grabbing his guitar as he went. He closed the door behind him.

Andrew remained rooted to his spot as his anger started to subside. It was over. He turned to glance at Benji.

“Good job.” he said.

Benji turned to look at Andrew, “Thank you for not leaving.” he said with sigh. He meant it. If Andrew had left, Benji wasn't sure he would have had the strength to get through that conversation on his own. He realized now that being with Derek had truly become toxic to his health. And now with Victor, he felt healthy again because Victor was the antidote. The cure to all of his ills.

Andrew shrugged. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you. Do you know what Mia and Lake would do to me? Not to mention Lone-  _ Felix _ and Victor.”

Benji smiled. He knew that Andrew had a ways to go still, but he was trying and that was what mattered most.

“C’mon. I’ll give you a lift home.” Andrew said, walking Benji back to his car.

Benji sighed. He realized his hands were trembling. He hadn’t expected to see Derek so soon and the experience, while brief, was not pleasant. He needed to talk. He needed his antidote.

“Actually, would you mind dropping me at Victor’s? I need to tell him what’s happened.”

****

Victor was sitting with Felix and Lake in deep discussion. They failed to hear the soft knock at the front door.

Adrian looked up from the TV and saw that his brother was not moving. He sighed, quickly got to a standing position and opened the door.

Benji and Andrew were standing there. 

“Hi” Benji said with a smile, “Is Victor home?”

Adrian nodded. “You’re the boy he likes and wants to kiss.” he proclaimed.

Benji turned a deep shade of scarlet while Andrew tried and failed to stifle a laugh.

“Victor! The boy you like is here!” Adrian shouted. He smiled back at Benji and Andrew.

Victor came bounding around the corner at top speed. As soon as Victor saw Benji, worry faded to instant relief. He stopped at the door and placed a hand on Adrian’s shoulder.

“Thanks buddy. Why don’t you go back to the TV. I need to talk to Benji.”

“Are you going to kiss him?” Adrian asked. Benji noticed that he had the same scrunched up face Victor used when he didn’t like something. Clearly, Adrian did not want to see any affection by anyone.

“Uhh…” Benji said.

“Go watch TV.” Victor repeated, brushing his younger brother’s question off. He gave him a gentle push toward the living room.

Getting the hint, Adrian nodded and walked back to the living room.

Victor looked at Benji and Andrew. He motioned for them to come in.

Benji saw Felix and Lake sitting at the table as well. As they entered, they both rose from their chairs and waved.

“Looks like the gang’s almost all here.” Andrew observed. The only one missing of course was Mia.

“Where have you been?!” Lake demanded, looking at Andrew.

“And why was your phone off?” Victor said to Benji. 

Benji was taken aback by Victor’s tone of voice. He was angry and worried.

Lake smacked Andrew on the arm causing him cry out. “And you too! Why was your phone going to voicemail?”

Andrew looked at Lake like she was a crazy person. “Because I was driving!” he exclaimed. His phone locked when he drove.

Benji withdrew his phone from his pocket and looked at it. It was dead. He sighed and showed it to Victor.

“I’m sorry Victor. I didn’t realize my phone was dead. Andrew called me and I rushed over before charging it. I guess it died when we went to see Derek.”

“You saw Derek?” Victor asked, forgetting about the phone.

Benji felt himself flush red. Maybe he should have waited to say that.

“Did he hurt you?” Victor asked, his face etched with concern. He began to look at Benji’s face and he rested his hands on Benji’s shoulders. “Tell me.”

“No, Benji just talked to him.” Andrew said, coming to his rescue. He didn't want there to be any misunderstanding. While he still wasn’t a huge fan of Victor’s, he had gained newfound respect for Benji and how he had handled Derek.

“What did Derek say? Did he admit to writing the post?” Felix asked. 

Benji blinked and he looked from Felix back to Victor. “You know?”

Victor nodded. “Lake told me.”

“Maybe we should all take a seat.” Lake suggested.

They were all standing around the table awkwardly and, Victor realized, Adrian had stopped watching cartoons. Clearly, he found their conversation more interesting.

“Hey Adrian. Why don’t you go play in your room for a bit. I’ll make you a snack after.”

Adrian looked at his brother. He knew a brushoff when he heard it. But bribery always worked.

“Ice cream sundae?” he asked.

Victor gave him a thumbs up and nodded. “...You got it.” he said with a smile.

Adrian nodded and turned off the TV. He went down to his room and Victor waited until he heard the door close.

“Someone is running to the store for ice cream after this.” He said with a sigh. He motioned for everyone to take a seat.

Once they did, he looked at Benji and waited for him to explain. Lake decided to summarize for everyone.

“Okay, so you pretty much know what happened. Derek made an anonymous post on Creeksecrets. Vice Principal Albright caught it and she assumed it was Andrew.” she said.

“Which is really insulting by the way. I’m not  _ that _ mean.” Andew said.

Felix and Victor exchanged glances.

Andrew threw up his hands.

“Okay. I see how she could think that. But I’m trying to do better. Really. I mean it Felix.”

Felix smiled at the mention of his name and not the nickname which Andrew had given him that had gone on to haunt him for years.

Victor looked across the table at Andrew. “I’m sorry Andrew. I know that all of you have been pulled into this mess because of me. I tried so hard not to hurt anyone." He sighed. Lake was right he realized. He continued "By trying too hard not to hurt people, I ended up hurting so many more.”

On Victor’s left side, Benji squeezed his hand. On his right side, Felix patted his shoulder. They were here for him and they weren’t going to let him forget it. 

"I get it Sal-Victor. I do." Andrew said. He didn't smile, but the expression on his face was one of acceptance. He didn't want Victor punishing himself any longer. Whatever Andrew had wanted to do to Victor, he knew Victor had already done that times ten to himself. And Andrew was serious. He wanted to be a better person. He wanted to be that better person. Not just for Mia he realized, but for himself. He didn't like who people thought he was. That wasn't who he truly was inside.

Victor acknowledge Andrew with a slight bow of his head.

“So, what did Derek say?” Lake asked.

“He wrote it. He was hurting and he wanted to hurt me. Victor, I’m sorry. You and Mia were just collateral damage.” Benji explained.

Benji turned and looked at Victor, making sure Victor could see in his eyes just how sorry he was.

Victor took a deep breath and nodded. Benji continued.

“We talked. I apologized for my role in cheating on him. But, he also acknowledged that he had treated me badly. He promised not to post anything else.”

"And he meant it. I believed him." Andrew added.

Felix and Lake let out a sigh of relief. Victor just looked at Benji.

Benji had gone over to Derek and confronted him. Benji had done that for him. Because he cared about him- maybe even loved him. He looked into Benji’s eyes and could see the hurt and sadness. Victor knew that Benji was feeling guilty. He recognized that look all too well. 

“Thank you.” he said. He leaned forward and kissed Benji.

“Aww.” Lake said and Felix joined her.

“Okay. Okay, can we move on.” Andrew asked after the two boys pulled apart.

“Andrew’s right Victor. We need to discuss our next steps.” Lake said.

Benji looked at Victor, his face scrunched up in confusion. “Next steps?”

Victor looked at Benji and smiled softly. “I wanted to wait until I spoke to you and Mia. But Benji, I told you on Friday that I was ready. And I am. I want to come out to the school. This week.”

Benji blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, he frowned as some stray strands fell in front of his eyes. Victor just smiled. He loved when Benji’s hair did that.

Across the table Andrew seemed to be absorbing all of this. “Wow. That’s a big step Victor.” he looked around the table. “How were you planning to do it.”

Victor looked at everyone and shrugged. He hadn't told Lake or Felix this yet. He braced himself for their reaction. “How else? Creeksecrets.”

“Seriously?” Felix exclaimed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Didn't Benji just go through all the trouble of stopping that?

“Creeksecrets? You’re sure?” Benji repeated. Once it was online, Benji knew, there was no going back. 

“I get you want to control the narrative Victor, but is this really the best way?” Andrew asked.

“I’m with Andrew.” Lake said. “Besides, Ms. Albright shut it down. You’d have to speak to her first anyway.”

Victor nodded. “I know. Fortunately, I just got an email from her a few minutes ago.” 

He pulled up his phone and shared the message with the others.

_ Victor- _

_ I’m sorry to bother you on a weekend. Something has come to my attention and I’m afraid it’s pretty urgent.  _

_ It’s regarding a submission to Creeksecrets about you.  _

_ I’d like you to come straight to my office first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll explain everything. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Ms. Albright _

_ Acting Vice Principal _

_ Creekwood High School _

He waited until the group finished reading. Then Benji looked back at Victor.

“Victor, you really want to do this? I don’t want you to feel like you have to. We stopped Derek-”

“There will always be another Derek.” Victor said with sigh. “Benji, I’m so tired of hiding who I am.”

“We get that buddy. But we don’t want to see you get hurt.” Felix said, draping an arm around his shoulder.

Victor grabbed the arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, thanking him for his support.

“I appreciate that Felix. I really do. But you can’t control that. Neither can I.” Victor admitted.

Lake sighed. “Well, you should at least talk to Mia.” 

Victor nodded. “I already sent her a text. I asked her to meet me in Ms. Albright’s office tomorrow morning. She agreed.”

Andrew looked around the table. “Well, it looks like you’ve made up your mind.” he paused as all eyes turned to him. “How can we help you?”

Victor looked back at Andrew “I don’t suppose I could convince you guys to run and pick up some ice cream?”

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> Thoughts about Victor's decision?


	10. Sunday Sundae Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor ran out of his room with his shirt in hand. As he ran down the hall, his parents and sister quickly turned around and Victor realized they were staring at him. He realized belatedly that he was not wearing a shirt and Benji was standing barefoot in the living room wearing a now dirty tank top and jeans. And he could see from his parents’ expressions that their minds had already jumped to very different conclusions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your feedback. It is so very much appreciated. I am now roughly three chapters ahead so I will continue updating nightly as long as I can. For those curious, it's about 142 pages in Google Docs right now.

Benji sat on the couch watching TV as Adrian ate his giant ice cream sundae at the dining room table. After dropping off the ice cream, Andrew, Lake and Felix had left about an hour earlier, determining that no matter what, they would find a way to support Victor after his post hit Creeksecrets.

Victor had reviewed the post with everyone and they had given their feedback. Now, fully edited, he had it ready to go for his meeting with Ms. Albright the next morning. But before he actually took the plunge, he wanted one more person’s opinion.

Carrying his laptop, Victor walked over to Benji and sat on the couch. He pulled up Simon’s name from his DM list and started typing.

  
  


_Dear Simon,_

_I wanted to thank you for your advice. It helped. While Pilar and I still have a ways to go, I know you’re right. She does want to forgive me. And as long as I keep giving her the time and space she needs, I know she will. It’s tough, but I know we’ll get through this._

_We told my younger brother this morning. That... did not go great. Adrian had learned some words from our family and didn’t understand the hurtful meaning behind them. To be honest, I think he’s still confused. About the only thing he understands right now is that I like boys and that I Iike kissing Benji - which, because he’s not at that age yet, he still finds gross. I’m trying not to be hurt by it because I know he doesn’t mean it but...it hurts._

_Also, I’ve made a decision. I’ve spoken with my friends and I’ve decided to come out to the school tomorrow afternoon. If this seems sudden, it doesn’t feel that way to me. When I first came to Creekwood, I had wanted to come out right there and then. But fear stopped me._

_But thanks to you, Bram, your roommates, your parents, my friends, and to my family, I am no longer afraid. More than anything, I know that I am ready for this. I am ready to fully start living my life the way I want._

_I’ve attached a draft of my post. As someone who has experience with Creeksecrets, I had hoped you could review it and send me your feedback. I have a meeting with Ms. Albright tomorrow to discuss posting it._

_I wanted to thank you again Simon for all you’ve done for me-_

“Wait. Benji said, finally looking at what Victor was doing. “Is that Simon _Spier_ that you’re writing to?”

Victor looked over at Benji and nodded. With all that had happened, he had never even had a chance to explain everything.

“It’s a long story.” Victor said. “But the gist of it is that I’ve been speaking with Simon ever since the winter carnival. Then I met him in New York and stayed with him and his roommates.”

Benji’s eyes widened slightly. “When did you go to New York?” he asked. He couldn’t recall a time when Victor had left the state outside of…

“After I kissed you.” He admitted, turning slightly red. “I just needed to see him and get some advice.”

“And it helped?” Benji asked. 

Victor nodded. “When I came back, that’s when I told Felix and decided to tell Mia. Simon, Bram, and their roommates really helped me.”

Benji blinked. “Bram? Bram Greenfield? The one who went on the Ferris Wheel with Simon? They’re still together?”

Victor nodded. “They live together in an apartment with three other roommates. Ivy, Justin and Kim whose pronouns are they, them, their.”

Benji rubbed his chin for a moment. And then he chuckled. Derek had been wrong. Simon and Bram’s romance story _had_ continued past high school. And if Derek could be wrong about that…

“I.. uh.. forgot to tell you this last night because you were so amazingly distracting.” Victor said.

Benji grinned. “Oh really?” He teased. He threw a pillow at Victor and the other boy just managed to duck out of the way.

“Really.” Victor laughed, picking up the pillow and tossing it back at Benji. It bounced off his perfect hair and caused a few strands to fall into his face.

Victor just stared at Benji for several minutes, watching the strands across his eyes. Benji, realizing that Victor seemed to like it when his perfect hair wasn’t perfect, resisted the urge to brush the strands away.

“And?” Benji asked after another minute, still smiling.

Victor blinked. “Oh. And that’s why I’m grounded. I didn’t tell my parents I was going to New York. So I can’t go anywhere for the rest of this week except school, work and basketball. And I have to watch Adrian for the next month whenever they need it.”

Benji nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Oh. And I keep forgetting. Simon invited me to his house next Saturday. He and his family are having a big get together because Simon and his friends are all back from Spring Break.” Victor paused before adding “They were hoping I’d bring you.”

Benji blinked. “They know about me?” 

Victor’s face fell and he began to blush again. He wasn’t sure how Benji would handle this. “Um. Yeah. I told Simon. And I didn’t realize it at the time, but Simon told his roommates because he needed help giving me advice and so… yeah.... They know all about you and me.”

Benji could see that Victor was worried. He reached over and wrapped his arms around Victor’s waist, pulling him onto his lap. Victor had just enough time to set the laptop down on the far cushion of the couch.

“I would _**love**_ to meet the people responsible for bringing us together.” Benji said. He reached up and kissed him.

Victor pulled away and smiled. “You are just perfect.”

Benji laughed. He knew he was far from perfect. And he knew that deep down, Victor knew that too, but it felt good to hear.

“Let me just finish this message to Simon.” Victor said, sliding off Benji’s lap and grabbing his laptop.

As Victor finished typing, Benji rested his chin between Victor’s shoulder and neck, leaning his head against Victor’s to read along.

_I wanted to thank you again Simon for all you’ve done for me over these past few months. I just told Benji about you and everyone and he’s excited to meet you all next week. Please tell your mom that we will be there._

_Thanks again Simon._

_-Victor_

He attached the draft of his post and clicked send. Shutting the laptop lid, he placed the computer on the table and turned back to Benji.

But Benji wasn’t looking at Victor. Victor followed his line of sight to the dining room entrance.

His brother stood in the center of the room and Victor’s face fell. Adrian was covered from his neck down in chocolate and ice cream.

“Um Victor? I made a mess.” Adrian said. He was looking at the ground, afraid to make eye contact with his older brother.

“ _What_ happened buddy?” Victor said, doing his best to stay calm even as his eyes widened at the sight of all the chocolate. How had there been THAT much chocolate in a container?

“I reached for the chocolate fudge and spilled it and then I slipped and hit the ice cream and it...kind of went all over the place.” he said, still looking at the floor.

Victor sighed. He turned to Benji.

“I gotta clean this up.” he said, giving the other boy permission to leave.

“I’ll help.” Benji said. “It can’t be any worse than a spill at Brasstown.” 

Benji flashed a smile at Victor, knowing that it had become his Achilles heel. Whenever he smiled like that, Victor's willpower was shattered. He couldn't say no to that smile.

“Ok.” Victor said. “If you can start to clean up the Dining Room, I’ll get Adrian cleaned up and be back to join you.”

Benji nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’m sorry for ruining your date.” Adrian said looking up at Benji and the back down to the ground again.

Benji chuckled. It wasn’t _exactly_ a date. It was just hanging out. But how to explain that to Adrian? “It’s fine Adrian. You listen to your brother and I’ll take care of the Dining Room. It’ll look good as new when I’m done. Promise.”

Adrian looked up at Benji and nodded, he gave a half smile, relieved that for now at least, he didn’t seem to be in trouble.

Victor smiled again at Benji. His Prince Charming, there to rescue him from another mess. This time a literal mess. 

Victor looked at Adrian again and saw that somehow, the chocolate had gotten on his shoes as well.

He sighed.

“OK buddy. Don’t move. I’m gonna carry you to the bathroom.”

Victor stood up and took off his sweatshirt, leaving just an old white t-shirt underneath that could, he hoped, easily be bleached clean.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed several old rags and put them over his shoulder. He also grabbed a black trash bag and stuffed it in his pocket. He motioned to Benji to come help. Benji saw what Victor was up to and nodded. He removed his leather jacket and set it on the couch.

Victor walked over to his brother. He set two rags down by Adrian’s feet. Then he turned and stood behind Adrian.

“Ready?” he asked.

Adrian nodded.

“One. Two. Threeeee!” At this, Victor bent down, slid his arms under his brother’s armpits and lifted Adrian off the ground. Benji quickly got underneath and pulled off Adrian’s shoes and put them on the rags Victor had grabbed.

Victor then proceeded, with more difficulty than he used to have, to carry his brother to the bathroom.

Once there, he set Adrian down in the tub.

“Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Victor, t-shirt now covered in chocolate and ice cream as well, ran into Adrian’s bedroom. He quickly opened his dresser and pulled out a clean outfit. He then went to the linen closet and retrieved a fresh towel.

He went back into the bathroom and set both down on the sink.

“OK buddy. I’m gonna leave you to shower and get changed. Put all your clothes in this bag” he said, retrieving the garbage bag from his pocket and opening it up.

“Okay Victor. Thank you.” Adrian replied. He was relieved at how calm his older brother was being about the whole thing.

“No problem. You let me know if you need anything. I’m just gonna go help Benji finish cleaning up.”

Adrian nodded and Victor pulled the door shut to give his brother privacy.

He made his way back into the kitchen and sighed. It looked like a crime scene.

Benji had already cleaned the table and was on his hands and knees scrubbing the carpet with soap and water. He looked up as Victor approached. Victor noticed that Benji had also been a victim of the Sunday Sundae disaster. His white tank top was now stained all over with chocolate from cleaning. Victor looked at the Kitchen and found that some of the ice cream had managed to land against the refrigerator. He didn’t recall giving his brother _that_ much food.

“I have **no** idea how he did this.” Victor said. He looked up and saw chocolate syrup had managed to get on the ceiling too.

Benji shrugged. “It was an accident. We’ll get it cleaned up.” He smiled again and Victor felt his face grow warm. Benji was now doing that on purpose.

Victor laughed, and went to retrieve cleaning supplies from under the sink. He retrieved some sponges, a bucket, and more rags and they got to work.

****

After nearly two hours, it was done. There was not a spot of chocolate in the house. The Dining Room was probably cleaner than it had been when Victor’s family moved in after Benji got through with it. All those shifts at Brasstown had made him an excellent cleaner in his opinion and Victor concurred.

Adrian, overcome with a sugar crash following his sundae, had gone to take a nap and Victor read to him until he fell asleep.

Benji, exhausted from all the cleaning, lay on the couch watching whatever cartoon Adrian had put on. Benji couldn’t quite figure out what its purpose was, but he was too tired to locate the remote. He had kicked his boots off and had his bare feet resting on the ottoman. Benji looked down at his tank top and laughed at the now dried chocolate stains he’d accumulated. At least he’d managed to keep his jeans and boots clean. And his jacket of course. 

Victor finished putting Adrian down and headed into his bedroom to retrieve a clean t-shirt. He pulled the old one off and tossed it in his hamper. He had just retrieved a clean shirt when he heard the front door open.

“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Salazar.” Victor heard Benji say.

Victor ran out of his room with his shirt in hand. As he ran down the hall, his parents and sister quickly turned around and Victor realized they were staring at him. He realized belatedly that he was not wearing a shirt and Benji was standing barefoot in the living room wearing a now dirty tank top and jeans. And he could see from his parents’ expressions that their minds had already jumped to very different conclusions.

“Benji.” Isabel greeted, her voice steady but not exactly warm.

“Mijo-” Armando started to say.

“We had a little accident in the kitchen involving a chocolate sundae.” Victor explained as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and down his torso.

“Who had a sundae?” Isabel asked.

“I made one for Adrian and well…” He looked at Pilar and she just laughed.

“That could only happen to Victor.” Pilar told her parents with a laugh.

Armando and Isabel took another look at Benji’s tank top and then noticed the pie of rags in a bag by the Dining Room. They nodded in agreement and relaxed slightly.

“Is your brother okay?” his father asked, turning back to face Victor.

Victor nodded. “Yeah. I got him cleaned up and he actually just fell asleep for a bit. Benji helped me clean up.”

His mother turned back to Benji. “Thank you for helping Benji. That was very thoughtful.”

Benji shrugged. “It was no problem. Like I told Victor, I’m used to cleaning up larger messes at Brasstown.”

Armando looked from Benji and then back at his son. He supposed now was as good a time as ever to talk. “Why don’t we all sit down for a minute.”

Victor looked at his father, almost begging him to stop. He looked at his sister, pleading for a rescue.

“Sounds good.” Pilar said in a chipper voice, flashing Victor a look. She was enjoying his suffering and he knew it.

Victor stifled a groan and rolled his eyes. He looked over at Benji and mouthed _‘I’m sorry_ ’ before he followed his parents and sister into the living room. He took a seat next to Benji on the couch. Pilar sat next to Victor while his parents sat across in the two chairs.

“So Benji,” his mother began. She looked at her husband, unsure what to say next.

“Forgive us Benji. We’re still getting used to all of this.” Armando admitted. He tried to keep smiling, but feared it was making things even more awkward.

The boy nodded and continued to smile nervously as well. He looked over at Victor and Pilar and then back to the Salazars.

“I understand sir. My parents still have plenty of questions and I’ve been out for quite a while.”

“And they met your previous boyfriend?” Isabel asked cautiously.

Benji nodded. “They did. I can’t say that they really approved. And I can’t say I blame them either. So, I didn’t really bring him around very often to my house.”

Victor looked at Benji, he felt so terrible for him right now. He looked at him as if to say _“RUN”_

Victor’s father shifted in his seat, trying, and failing, to get comfortable.

“So umm… you and Victor are...uh...dating now.” he stated. 

Victor wanted to scream. He knew his parents were trying but _this_ was torture.

“Uh, yes sir. Technically as of last night.” Benji said.

“But before that you and Victor kissed on your ‘work trip’” Pilar said, using air quotes to emphasize her point.

Benji cringed and Victor looked like he wanted to jump out of his skin. He looked to his parents with a silent plea in his eyes. His father saw and turned to her.

“ **Pilar**.” Armando warned. He looked back at Benji “Sorry about that. Victor already told us.”

Benji swallowed and then looked past Victor directly at his sister. “Um.. yes Pilar. We did kiss during that trip. I don’t think your brother meant to do it. I didn’t either. It just um… it just happened.”

Pilar nodded. “And you didn’t tell your boyfriend. Just like Victor didn’t tell Mia.”

“ _ **Pilar.**_ That’s _enough._ ” Isabel warned, her voice tense. This was awkward enough. Isabel didn’t want to make either boy feel any more uncomfortable. And, she wasn’t exactly comfortable with the subject of cheating either.

Benji rested his palms on his knees and found that they were sweating. Victor saw it and placed his hand over Benji’s left hand. His parents noticed and their eyebrows raised slightly, but they said nothing.

Benji spoke again, “Um. You’re right. I didn’t. At the time, I didn’t think it meant anything. And I thought it would be more harmful to Derek and to Victor if I did tell him. So I told Victor I wouldn’t say anything and I…requested a transfer to another store.”

Pilar looked at Benji and her hard stare softened. She hadn’t heard this part before. She didn’t know Benji had tried to leave. All her brother’s letter had mentioned was how sorry he was and why he did it. She didn’t know that Benji had actually changed store locations to avoid ruining his relationship.

She turned to her brother. “And you?”

Victor sighed. “I panicked after kissing Benji. I went to New York for advice and when I came back, I told Felix and then planned to tell Mia but she was dealing with stuff of her own. I wrote the letter to Benji because he wouldn’t talk to me.”

Benji bowed his head. He still felt guilty about avoiding Victor for days.

“But you are together now.” Armando said. “And you’re both happy.” He was trying to focus on the positive.

Victor squeezed Benji’s hand and looked at his parents. “Yes papi. We are.”

Isabel forced a smile. “Well, that’s what matters.” she said. He felt incredibly awkward and just wanted the conversation to end.

Armando looked at his wife and she gave him a slight nod. He turned back to Benji and Victor.

“Well Benji, since you are here and you went to all the trouble of helping our son clean up, the least we can do is feed you. If you would like to stay for dinner, we’d love to have you join us.”

Benji looked at Victor, trying to determine what he wanted. Victor squeezed Benji’s hand and smiled. He shrugged. It was up to him.

“I’d love to sir.” Benji replied with a smile. He looked at Victor and squeezed his hand.

Isabel smiled. It was awkward, but they were finding their way through it. She turned to her son.

“Victor, do you have another shirt Benji can wear? Benji, I can wash that for you and have it ready by the time you leave.”

Victor nodded. He turned to Benji. “Yeah, I’m sure I have something that will fit.”

Benji looked at Pilar and saw that her expression had mellowed. She had taken her pound of flesh and was satisfied for now. Briefly, Benji wondered if he had passed whatever test she had cooked up or if more was to come. He turned back to Victor’s parents and thanked them. 

“Victor, you can invite Felix as well if you want. We’re just going to order a pizza tonight if that’s alright?” Isabel said. It had been a very long weekend and she did not feel like cooking on top of everything else.

“Ok Mami. I’ll let him know.” Victor said. He didn’t move from the couch.

“Mijo,is there something else?” Armando asked.

Victor paused and Benji grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. Again, Victor saw his parent’s react briefly but they said nothing. They were waiting for Victor to begin.

“I’ve…decided…” he cleared his throat. “I’ve decided to...come out...to the school.” He looked at his parents and sister. “Tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well now, Pilar learned something new and perhaps Benji has passed her test? Or is this just the beginning of the torment she has planned for him?
> 
> And nothing like crazy awkward conversations with your boyfriend's family after having just talked to your ex-boyfriend right?
> 
> It's been quite the day for Benji and it's not over yet.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed.


	11. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and his family talk about his decision. Benji is there.  
> Benji needs a new shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for your comments. They have been so kind and very much appreciated. Please know that your feedback is absolutely taken into account for future chapters as well.

Victor looked from his parents to his sister. Beside him on the couch, Benji was holding his hand and also waiting for someone to speak.

“Honey, I know you have been hiding this part of yourself for so long but…” Isabel trailed off as she saw the look in her son’s eyes. Anger. He did _not_ want to be told to wait.

His father saw it too. “We’re just concerned that once you do this, there is no going back. But if you are sure, then we will support your decision.”

Armando looked to his wife. She was nervous. Of course she was. She wanted to protect her son and her family from any more hurt. But she knew that wasn’t realistic. Still, she had hoped there would be more time…

“Your father’s right mi amor.” she said, “We support you. If you’re sure.” she looked into his eyes, pleading with him to be sure.

Victor looked to his sister. “Pilar, are you ok with this? I know this won’t affect just me.” he said, concern evident in his voice. He didn’t verbalize it but the message was clear: he would not do this if his sister objected.

Pilar looked at her brother. Then at Benji. She shifted her gaze to look at her parents and could tell how worried they were. It was one thing to come out to them. It was quite another to come out to the entire school.

Pilar hated school. She already felt like she didn’t really fit in. She missed her friends in Texas. She was still sad from being dumped. Despite spending an entire day talking with her parents, she was still harboring feelings of resentment towards them. And, she was still mad at Victor for cheating on Mia. 

She was so _sick_ of the people in her life letting her down. But Victor had always been a good brother. He had always put his family first. The one time he put his own needs first had backfired in a way that, like the ice cream sundae, could have only happened to her brother. She understood that now. And she had texted Mia about it this morning, apologizing for her idiot brother. And Mia had responded that she forgave him. But for Pilar, she just wasn’t there yet. It just brought back up too much other hurt for her. But was that fair to Victor? He didn’t dump _her_. He didn’t cheat on a marriage. He kissed Benji in a moment of confusion and weakness and then tried to honestly end his relationship with Mia. That this didn’t happen was partly his fault yes.

But, could she punish him for this? She _could_ of course. She knew her brother. If she asked him, he’d go back into the closet for the rest of his high school career rather than cause her any further hurt. Because that was the type of person her brother was. He was selfless. He always tried to put others first. And though he had bungled it ** _spectacularly_ **, Pilar was starting to realize that this was what Victor had been trying to do with Mia. He had tried to put his own feelings aside to give her a great night and because he had waited too long, it blew up in his face. And, Pilar reflected with just a tiny amount of guilt, a large part of that was in fact her fault. 

If she hadn’t chosen to confront Felix and Benji that night, Mia would have likely had that memorable night Victor wanted for her. But then, would Victor now be with Benji? Or would Benji still be miserable with Derek, working at another coffee shop while Victor went through all of this alone? Would he still continue to be miserable, hiding this part of himself from the family and the world? How long until that secret had finally destroyed him?

She sighed. She knew her brother better than anyone. Better than her parents. Better than Felix. And yes, for now at least, she was confident she knew him just a bit better than Benji. Perhaps, she reflected, that is why she was the least surprised of her family when Victor came out to them. He was almost too good a person to be straight. At least, that seemed to be Pilar’s experience with boyfriends. And, Victor had shown up for her on more occasions than she could count- like when he went with her to find out who had been messaging their mother. And even after that, he had tried to hold their family together when their parents had almost given up. He was a loyal friend, a good son, and a great brother. 

And for the first time that she could remember, her brother was asking for something for himself. Not for the family. Not for his friends. He wanted this for himself. He needed it, she realized. And she realized that _she_ needed him too. Without her brother, her **whole** brother, she wasn’t sure she would be able to get through school. So yes, people might tease her. Big deal. She was used to racists. What more could homophobes really add for her? She would handle it. Because Victor needed this. She could do this for him. She knew that.

Pilar placed her right hand in her older brother’s left and squeezed it. She looked him in the eyes and smiled.

“If this is what you want hermano, I will support you. 100%” she said. She realized tears were starting to form in her eyes. And, she noticed, tears were forming in her brother’s eyes as well.

He squeezed her hand. And as tears dripped down his cheek, he looked at her and, barely above a whisper, replied “Thank you.”

Victor looked back at his parents and saw that they too were blinking back tears. He felt Benji squeezing his hand and looked over to see him smiling softly back at him, ready to support him however he could.

Isabel broke the tension by standing up. “Ok. Victor, you take Benji to your room and get him a clean shirt. Tell Felix that dinner will be at 6pm. Pilar, can you go with your father to pick it up?”

Pilar looked from her brother’s face, still wet with tears to her mother’s and she nodded.

“Gracias mija” her father said softly.

He rose from his chair and approached the couch. First, he kissed his daughter’s forehead. Then he kissed his son’s forehead and caressed his cheek gently.

“You are the bravest person I know Victor. I’m so very proud of you.” He said. This of course, caused more tears to fall from his son’s face. Victor bowed his head and wiped at the tears with his hand.

Armando patted his knee and then moved to Benji.

“Benji, thank you for making my son happy. Truthfully, I haven’t seen him this happy in so long.”

He meant it. Although he was still trying to understand everything, Armando could not help but notice how happy his son was around Benji. He extended his hand and Benji hesitantly extended his own arm and firmly shook it. He could tell from the boy’s expression that he was shocked at how warm Victor’s father was being.

Armando looked around the room and took one last look at everyone before he turned back to his wife and said.

“Let me know when you’ve placed the order. I have to finish…”

He didn’t say the words. His family knew what he meant. Finish packing.

Isabel nodded and he turned to head back to their bedroom.

Benji picked up his boots and remained seated on the couch, waiting to follow Victor to his bedroom.

Slowly, Victor rose from the couch and nearly tipped over when his sister rose just as quickly and engulfed him in a hug. They remained that way for several minutes as she squeezed tightly.

Had she fully forgiven him? Victor wasn’t sure. Probably not. But he knew she was a step closer. And he would take whatever he could get. He would earn her full forgiveness one day-when she was ready.

Pilar then turned and waited for Benji to stand. She gave him a quick hug and then leaned in to whisper into his ear. “If you **ever** hurt him, I will kill you. And they will _never_ find the body.”

Benji’s face froze and he remained that way as Pilar withdrew from the hug and patted him on the shoulder. She smiled as she looked him in the eye and he knew that she was serious. She probably had already picked out the location and knew what methods she would employ. He swallowed hard and resolved never to cross Pilar Salazar if he wanted to live. She turned around and headed back to her room.

Victor squeezed his arm, bringing him out of his stupor. 

“Follow me.” He said.

Benji nodded and turned to follow Victor down to his room.

Victor opened the door and motioned for Benji to enter first.

As he entered, he took a look around the room. Although he and Derek had been to Victor’s apartment for his birthday, they had not gone in his room. He looked at the various posters on the wall and then at the neatly made bed. 

Victor turned to Benji and seemed to hesitate.

“Um... give me your shirt so my mom can wash it.” he said and Benji saw that he was looking down at the floor and not back at him.

Benji decided to have a little fun.

“Would you mind helping me, I think I might have pulled something cleaning up.” he said, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.

Victor looked up at him, saw the expression on his face, and chuckled. He knew Benji was fine, but sure, he’d play along.

His fingers trembled slightly as he gripped either side of Benji’s tank top. He slowly lifted the dirty fabric and as he did, Benji raised his arms, showing the short brown hair of his armpits and Victor could smell the faint whiff of his deodorant. It was a pleasant smell that mixed with the other smells of his aftershave and his conditioner always reminded Victor of Benji whenever he was near. Victor continued to lift the fabric up and over Benji’s head and then over his hair. And then it was off. 

Victor held the shirt loosely in his hand and looked back at Benji. He was just as beautiful as the night before- even without the moonlight. Victor took a moment to fully take him in. While the tank top did little to hide anything anyway, Victor could now fully appreciate Benji's abs, his pecs, his collarbone, and his neck. His chest was hairless except for a tiny trail from below his belly button that disappeared into his jeans. As his eyes narrowed to Benji's waist, his head snapped back up almost instinctively.

“Um” Victor said, his eyes blinking as he remembered what he was doing, “Let me give this to my mom. Be right back.”

He bent down and retrieved his own soiled t-shirt from the hamper and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to the living room and added the shirt to the bag of dirty rags his mother was holding.

“Gracias mijo. I’ll go run these down to the laundry room now. Benji should have it back by the time he leaves.”

“Gracias mami.” Victor said as his mother turned to leave.

He walked back down the hallway and returned to his room, closing the door behind him. He clicked the lock, making sure the door was shut. Then he turned and stared.

Victor realized that Benji was standing in the center of _his_ bedroom barefoot and without a shirt. He felt his heart beating fast as Benji patiently looked at him with that trademark warm smile of his. The smile that drove him _crazy_.

“Well?” Benji asked. He looked at Victor and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he said it. Was he waiting for a shirt? If so, Victor thought, he shouldn’t have smiled like that...

Victor threw his arms around Benji’s neck and pulled him in close for a kiss. He felt Benji wrap his strong arms around his waist, spinning him almost 360 degrees around so that Benji’s back was now to the door. Victor sighed. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. His family was right outside. But he couldn’t resist. He needed to kiss Benji. He _craved_ it.

He ran his fingers through Benji’s perfect hair, letting the strands fall over his eyes and Benji continued to kiss him, alternating from his mouth to his cheek and down his chin and down to his neck, stopped from going any lower only thanks to his t-shirt. Benji continued holding him tight around the waist and Victor felt safe in his strong arms. But he didn't dare stop. It seemed Benji also needed this. 

Victor had just enough sense to verify again that he had indeed locked his door before he slowly started walking backwards, leading Benji to his bed. The two continued kissing as the fireworks started up again inside of Victor.

He felt the bed against his legs and he slowly bent down as Benji did the same. And then they were sitting on the bed, kissing fast and furiously, stopping only long enough for Victor to quickly remove his own shirt before resuming. Victor leaned back towards his pillow and pulled Benji down with him. They had kissed plenty the night before of course. But this time, the kisses were faster, more passionate. Victor felt animalistic urges taking over. He had never felt this way when kissing before. But kissing Benji was like quenching the thirst of a dying man. He had never felt so satisfied and yet he always needed more. And so the kisses rained down, from mouth to neck, to collarbone to shoulder and up again to jaw, cheek, even the tip of Benji’s perfect nose. Victor felt Benji’s fingers gently running through his own hair, as both did their best to avoid making too much noise. 

After several minutes, Benji lay on the bed, his arm wrapped around Victor’s shoulder as they took a break. Victor nuzzled up to Benji’s chest, resting his head over his heart and listening to the soothing beat. This had quickly become his favorite spot when being with Benji. He felt his entire body relax as he listened to the steady rhythm of Benji’s strong heart. He shifted slightly to look up at him. Benji, who had been playing with Victor’s hair for the past few minutes, paused and looked back at him.

Victor smiled at him. “Thank you for talking to Derek. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

Benji paused and Victor saw his smile falter. “No”, he admitted, “It wasn’t easy.” He looked down at Victor and ran his right hand over Victor’s chest, and Victor felt the electricity course through his body at Benji’s touch. He rested his palm just above Victor’s heart.

“But I’d do anything to protect you. I really care about you Victor. I hope you know that.”

Victor looked back into his eyes, still feeling the rhythmic pulse of Benji’s heart against his head and he rested his left hand on top of Benji’s right.

“I really care about you too Benji. And I feel the same way.”

Benji’s smile returned and he bent his head down to place a kiss on Victor’s forehead.

He pulled him tight with his left arm, and Victor cuddled up closer to Benji’s chest. If Victor had his choice, they would stay like this forever- safe in each other’s arms where no one could hurt them. 

But Victor knew that, while they could have plenty of these moments, he could not avoid the real world forever. And he felt his heart beating just a bit faster as he realized that after tomorrow, it would all be out there. He would be exposed for the whole school to see- and judge. And he was terrified. And yet, he was also excited. He recalled the same feeling of nervous excitement when he had first walked into Creekwood High with Felix. He briefly wondered what life would have been like if he had come out on the first day. Would he and Benji still have found each other? 

Maybe. But he would never know. And, Victor realized, he didn’t care. His life had taken many interesting twists and turns this year. But, he ended up making it to his destination. It was like what Benji had said to him once. 

_Turns out human sexuality is less of a straight line, and more of a Cirque du Soleil show. Long, confusing, and full of sexy clowns._

Victor smiled at the memory and Benji looked down at him and smiled back. He continued to stroke Victor’s hair as they lay on his bed, happy just to be together without any distractions.

The sound of Felix’s voice on the walkie talkie caused them both to bolt upright.

“Felix to Victor. Over.”

Victor winced. He’d forgotten to invite Felix to dinner. He looked over at Benji, who was now sitting against the headboard, and he shrugged. 

He reached over and grabbed the walkie talkie. “Victor to Felix. Dinner’s at 6pm. Pizza.Over.”

Victor waited for his message to get through. Benji watched him, amused at the unique way the two friends communicated.

“Roger that. I’ll be down in 15.” Felix said. Victor looked at his clock and saw that it was 5:30pm. Naturally, Felix would be fifteen minutes early- for dinner right down the stairs.

“Roger that. Over.” Victor said. He’d long since given up trying to stop Felix and his early arrivals. He placed the radio back on his bedside table and turned back to Benji.

“Sorry about that. Where were we?”

Benji smiled and leaned forward on the bed, touching a hand to Victor’s cheek to caress it before pulling him back to the bed.

“I believe, we were... here.” he said before kissing him.

He pulled away and Victor smiled. “Oh right. Now I remember.” he said, before coming up and kissing him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stupid sexy Benji!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. Felix has great timing right?


	12. Dinner with the Salazars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Pizza Night.  
> And Benji needs a shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for the positive feedback. It helps my creative process so the more you share, the more ideas you give me.

Nearly ten minutes after speaking to Felix, Victor and Benji were still lying on the bed. Benji was now resting his head on Victor’s chest as Victor ran his hands through his perfect hair.

“You know we have to get up now. Felix will be here any minute.” Benji warned as he tried to shake the strands of hair from his eyes.

Victor let out a deep sigh and stopped playing with Benji's hair. “I know. I just wish I could just stay here with you like this forever.”

Benji looked up at him and smiled. “I feel the same way.” he slowly lifted his head from Victor’s chest, “But…” he said, now in a sitting position, “we don’t want to upset your parents.” He leaned over the side of the bed to retrieve Victor’s discarded T-shirt and tossed it onto his chest. “Now c’mon.” he said with a soft smile as he stood up.

Victor groaned and grabbed the t-shirt reluctantly as he sat up on the bed. He pulled the fabric over his head and then looked back at Benji who was of course, still standing there shirtless. Briefly, Victor wondered if he could just lie and say he couldn’t find something in Benji’s size so he could stay like that through dinner. But then he realized that his parents would just give him one of his father’s shirts.

Victor got up and opened his dresser drawer. Immediately he realized that Benji would not fit in any of his t-shirts thanks to his broad shoulders. He closed the drawer and went to his closet. He sorted through several button downs and realized with frustration that they were all too tight for Benji’s more muscular frame. He continued sifting through shirts until his gaze settled upon the awful shirt he had rejected the night prior. He took a look at the tag and realized it was indeed in Benji’s size and not his own. His tia really didn’t know him at all he realized.

He turned back to Benji, a gleam of mischief in his eye. “You  _ sure _ you want to wear a shirt?” he teased.

Benji stood there with his arms crossed and he cocked an eyebrow. “I’d prefer not to be half naked and eating in front of your family, yes.” His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why?”

In answer, Victor turned around with the shirt in hand and showed it to Benji. He laughed as Benji’s face fell. “Honestly, it’s the only thing that’s your size.” Victor admitted with another laugh.

Benji eyed the shirt like it was radioactive-which, to be fair, it kind of looked like it might have been. “ _Who_ would wear that? How did you even _get_ that?” he asked.

Victor sighed. “A gift from one of my tias. She doesn’t have the best taste.”

Benji looked like he wanted to agree, but his eyes were focused on the shirt in front of him. He briefly wondered if he could just hide it under his leather jacket. Then he realized he didn’t want his jacket touching...that.

“You  _ really _ have nothing else?” Benji pleaded.

Victor sighed. “We could ask my dad for one of his shirts-”

“No! It’s fine!” Benji replied as he snatched the shirt from Victor’s hand. The last thing he wanted to do was have to ask Victor’s father for a shirt.

“Don’t worry. Anything looks good on you.” Victor reassured him with a smile.

“Well, I guess we’re gonna test that theory.” Benji said with a sigh as he began unbuttoning the monstrosity before him and put it on.

As he finished buttoning it up, he looked over at Victor. Even though it actually fit Benji’s frame nicely and he had left the top three buttons undone in an effort to look a bit more sexy, there was no saving the shirt.

“Okay. I admit it.” Victor said, suppressing a laugh “I was wrong.”

Benji looked at the mirror against Victor’s wall and sighed. 

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his boots.

Victor meanwhile was looking at himself in the mirror, combing his hair- a task not made easy with how much Benji had ruffled through it.

Benji stood up and joined him, using his fingers to comb his own hair back to it’s normal style and sighing as a few strands fell loose in front of his eyes.

“Perfect” Victor said, turning to look at him. He gave Benji a kiss on the cheek.

Before Benji could reply, a knock on the door indicated that Felix had arrived promptly at 5:45pm.

****

Everyone gathered around the now clean table as Armando placed the pizza in front of them. Benji and Victor sat on the side closest to the kitchen while Pilar and Felix sat on the opposite side. Victor’s parents sat on each end of the table. Adrian sat in the living room watching TV. His family, and especially Victor and Benji, kept a close eye on the youngest Salazar, not eager to clean up another mess today.

When Benji emerged from Victor’s room wearing the brightly colored shirt, everyone stared but resisted the urge not to laugh. However, it was impossible to ignore the bright colors as they ate.

Pilar, naturally, was the first one to get her licks in. 

“Victor, you seriously had nothing else in your closet?” She asked, “Or are you just trying to pawn Tia’s gift off on poor Benji.”

Victor looked at his sister and rolled his eyes. Felix, perhaps sensing how uncomfortable Benji felt, overcompensated.

“Hey, I think that’s a really _sharp_ shirt.” Felix said. “No one else could wear that shirt the way you do Benji.”

Benji stared at Felix in disbelief while Victor snorted and his parents stifled a laugh. Pilar giggled and that set off Isabel, who let out her own laughter, which triggered Victor’s own giggle fit and finally, despite his best efforts for Benji’s sake, Armando joined in with a guffaw of his own.

Benji looked at the Salazars and joined in, even he could admit that it was funny. Only Felix stayed silent. He had really meant it as a compliment. He smiled anyway for their sake.

“Not to worry Benji. Your shirt is in the dryer and should be done in a few more minutes.” Isabel said.

“And then you can burn that monstrosity.” Armando added.

Isabel’s eyes flashed. It was her sister who had given Victor that shirt. Well actually, it had been for Armando, but Isabel had told Victor it was for him because she knew Armando would never wear it.

“Thanks Mrs.Salazar.” Benji said with a smile. He turned back to his pizza and continued to finish the slice.

“Victor, were you able to start packing?” his father asked as he reached for another slice of pizza.

Victor shook his head. “Not yet papi. But I will.” he assured him.

Felix’s eyes lit up at this. “Dude, we need to see if your wall is against mine. We could have like a secret knock-”

Pilar looked at Felix like he had three heads. “What are you? Ten?” she snapped, more harshly than she had meant to. She was still not happy about her father and brother moving out.

Felix looked at her, his smile vanished, and he turned a shade of red. Benji saw and quickly spoke up.

“Actually Felix, I think a secret knock sounds really cool.” Benji said. He reached over and retrieved another slice of pizza. If Felix could try and cheer Benji up, the least he could do was return the favor.

“Right?” Felix said, a big grin on his face. He looked at Victor, waiting for an answer.

“Right.” Victor agreed less enthusiastically. He looked at his sister and she let out a small sigh before nodding. She didn’t want to hurt Felix’s feelings.

Victor turned to his father. “Papi, I’ll need to be in early for my meeting tomorrow. Would you be able to drop me on your way in?”

His father, still chewing his pizza, simply nodded. He swallowed and said. “Of course mijo.”

Felix looked down at his pizza and Victor could tell his friend seemed sad.

“Felix? Everything okay dude?” He asked.

Felix waved his hand and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. I just realized I won’t have anyone walking to school with me tomorrow morning.” he said, shrugging it off and stuffing his mouth with pizza.

“Hey man, it’s just for tomorrow. Ms. Albright asked to see me and Mia really early.” 

Felix continued chewing and nodded.

Pilar looked at Felix and then back at Victor. He could tell what she was thinking. She saw a way to make up for her earlier outburst and took it.

“Hey Felix, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind walking me to school tomorrow?” Pilar said, “Mami doesn’t like it when I walk there by myself. But if you were with me…”

Felix’s head snapped up and he turned to look at Pilar. His grin widened and he said. “Great, I’ll be here at 7:45am”

Pilar nodded. _Felix_ might arrive at 7:45am, but _Pilar_ would be ready to leave at 8:05am and not a minute sooner. But he didn’t need to know that.

Felix, now in a better mood continued. He grabbed a new slice of pizza. “Now, in order to maximize our time so we can stop and get breakfast, we’ll need to head west three blocks” As he said this, he motioned with his arm and his hand relaxed, sending his pizza slice flying out of it and over to the table at Benji which landed, naturally, right on the front of his shirt.

Felix and Pilar froze in horror. Benji just looked down on the now tomato stained shirt. Victor wasn’t sure what to say. He reached over and removed the slice of pizza from the shirt. It didn't help. Almost all of the tomato sauce from that pizza slice was now on the center of Benji's shirt. Victor's father looked over at Benji.

“Honestly Benji, it’s an improvement.” Armando said with a smile.

Benji turned to Victor’s father and burst out laughing. Victor quickly joined in as did his mother, sister and finally Felix.

From his place in the living room, Adrian stood up and asked “What’s so funny?”

Benji just looked at Victor and shrugged. It felt good to be welcome. Yes, the Salazars were still going to need time to adjust to everything, but at least they genuinely seemed to enjoy having him and Benji genuinely enjoyed their company.

****

“So, I am definitely leaving a couple shirts here the next time I come.” Benji said when they were back in Victor’s room. He dabbed again at the tomato stain with a wet paper towel, doing his best to reduce the stain.

“Oh really? I didn’t know we were at that stage?” Victor teased. He was standing in the front of the closed bedroom door while Benji was looking in the mirror trying to blot the stain out. Beside Victor, there were two duffel bags of clothes that Benji had helped him quickly pack to bring up to his new room.

Benji looked up from the tomato stain, glared at him and rolled his eyes.

Victor chuckled. He held Benji’s now clean tank top in his left hand as Benji began unbuttoning the sauce-improved button down shirt. He removed it and held it aloft in one hand. He turned back to Victor.

“What do you want to do with this?”

Victor paused and briefly considered taking his father up on his suggestion of burning the shirt. But somehow, he didn’t think his mother would approve. Instead, he pointed to the hamper.

“Toss it here. We’ll wash it I guess.”

Benji nodded and tossed the shirt toward Victor’s hamper. Naturally it went in.

“Two points.” He said. He turned to Victor and smiled. “Maybe I should be on the basketball team.”

“Maybe.” Victor said with a laugh. He stared at Benji and smiled.

Benji stared back. They remained this way, staring and smiling at one another for several minutes.

“Victor?” Benji finally said.

“Hmm?” 

“Are you ever going to give me my shirt back?” 

Victor blinked and looked down at the clean white piece of fabric in his hand. Then he looked back at Benji and his chest, his pecs, and his abs all over again.

“Do I have to?” he whined. He flashed Benji a teasing look.

Benji placed his arms on his hips and sighed.

“This is going to become a thing with you isn’t it?”

Victor smiled mischievously and gave an enthusiastic nod. It definitely would be. He had decided he _much_ preferred it when Benji was wearing less clothes over more clothes. So naturally, Benji would just _have_ to get used to not wearing shirts around him. That was just how things would have to be. 

Benji laughed and Victor continued to watch him as the air moved in and out of his perfectly toned chest. Benji stood there and stared at Victor, waiting for him to blink. Finally, Victor looked up and met Benji’s stare.

“Fine.” Victor said in defeat, tossing the balled up fabric in front of his boyfriend’s laughing face.

Benji caught it and smiled.

He put it on and grabbed his jacket from the bed.

He walked over to Victor and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” he promised. He put on the jacket and smiled.

“Yeah. Tomorrow.” Victor replied. He returned the kiss and then opened his bedroom door for Benji.

As they entered the hallway, Victor saw his father carrying his own small duffel bag of clothes.

He paused as he saw the boys.

“Benji. Thank you again for your help cleaning up.” Armando said, giving the boy a quick nod. He turned to his son.

“I’ll be back in fifteen and we can start taking some of your things up if that’s okay flaco?”

Victor nodded. “Yes papi. I have a few things ready to go. I’ll move the rest tomorrow after school.”

Satisfied, Armando gave each boy a quick bow with his head and proceeded to carry his things out.

Benji turned to face Victor.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay with all this? You’ve gone through a lot this weekend. If you need some time-”

Victor looked at Benji and sighed. He was right of course, but Victor knew that time would not change anything. All it would do is delay the inevitable. No, he was committed now. He was sure.

“I’m okay. It is a lot, but I have you and Felix and my family. I’ll get through it.” he assured him.

Benji nodded and followed Victor as he walked him to the door.

“Okay.” Benji said, “But if you need anything. You call. My phone is fully charged again.” he said, showing the now charged phone in his hand.

Victor smiled. “I got it. You go. Get some rest. It’s been a long weekend for you too.” Victor said.

He paused by the door and looked at Benji. He could see that no one was in the Living Room or the hallway. It was now just about 8pm. He assumed his sister or mother was putting Adrian to bed.

He turned back to Benji and said. “Thank you. For everything this weekend.” he moved in and kissed him, taking his time before pulling back from the other’s lips.

Benji let out a small sigh. He really didn’t want to leave. But, he had homework due the next morning and he knew that Victor had more packing to do as well.

“Anytime.” Benji said.

Victor pulled open the door and Benji slowly made his way out and towards the stairwell. He turned and paused at the top of the stairs, giving a slow wave as he descended. Victor watched him go until he was out of sight and then slowly closed the apartment door.

*****

“That’s the last of them Papi.” Victor said as he handed his father his bags.

Armando’s apartment was noticeably smaller than the family apartment below. As opposed to the four bedroom apartment, this one only had two bedrooms. And, Victor noticed, his father had chosen to give him the master bedroom. The living area was reduced and the kitchen was a bit more narrow, but the space itself was spacious enough for two people.

He took a moment to look at the new bedroom his father had set up. It wasn’t much different than the old room with the major exception that Victor now had his own personal bathroom. The bed was bigger than the one in the other apartment and it was fully made up. A small bedside table was placed to the left against the wall and a lamp sat on the table. The closet was just a bit bigger than what he had downstairs. The dresser was a bit smaller. It was longer however, only coming up to his waist and it lay directly across from the bed. His father had placed a small LCD television on top. That was new. He had never had a TV in his bedroom before. Against the wall by the window, his father had set up a desk and chair where Victor could do his work. It looked welcoming and Victor could tell his father had put in the extra effort for him.

His father placed the bags down in front of the dresser and looked around.

“I know it’s not much right now flaco” his father said, “but if there is something you want to add to it, just let me know.”

Victor smiled at his father. He could tell the man was trying to be as accommodating as possible. And there was no denying that Armando had gone above and beyond for his son. But Victor was torn. On the one hand, it was nice to be with his father and be closer to Felix. At his age, having a bit more privacy, especially with a boyfriend, was also a plus. But on the other, he desperately wanted his family back together and hoped this was temporary. Therefore, he was reluctant to really try and make the room his own. Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to add a few posters to the wall.

“I think it’s great Papi.” Victor said. He walked over to his father and gave him a hug. 

His father looked down at his son and held him tight. The two men had been through so much and yet Armando had never felt closer to his son. He knew that things would not be easy. He and Isabel still had a lot to figure out. And there was still the matter of the damage his own family had caused that he would have to deal with. But for tonight in this moment, he would just enjoy his son’s company.

He waited until Victor released him before clearing his throat. “There’s a key to the apartment on the rack by the door. You can hold on to that one. I gave a copy to your mother and I have one more spare that I’d like you to give to Felix.” He raised his finger. “For EMERGENCIES only.” he said.

Victor snorted. He knew Felix and his father had very different ideas of what constituted an emergency.

“If you’re sure papi, I’ll give it to him.”

His father nodded. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 10pm.

“Alright mijo, you better get back to your mother. Get some sleep and I’ll meet you outside the apartment at 6:30 on the dot.”

Victor nodded. He followed his father out of the room and into the hallway. His father opened the door for him and paused as he walked out.

“I am proud of you Victor. So very proud.” Armando said, resting a hand on his son’s shoulder.

Victor smiled. “You have no idea how much that means to me Papi.” he touched his father’s arm gently and patted it “Get some sleep.”

His father nodded and Victor turned to walk down the steps. Naturally of course, Felix heard him and opened his own door and quickly slipped out before Victor’s eyes could even focus on the other boy’s apartment.

“Hey man. I just wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow.” He opened his arms and quickly engulfed his best friend.

“Thanks Felix.” Victor replied. “I’ll let you know how it goes.” he promised.

Satisfied, Felix nodded and quickly went back inside, again closing the door so fast that if Victor did not know Felix’s eccentric personality, he’d have been offended.

Victor paused at the top of the stairs and saw his father was still watching him. He waved and disappeared down the stairs.

****

Back in his room, Victor pulled out his phone and saw that Simon had responded.

_ Victor- _

_ Wow. First, I’ll definitely let Mom know to expect you and Benji. Everyone here is very excited to meet him. I admit, I am very curious to meet the boy who you have told me so much about. I also got everyone (mostly Bram and Justin) to promise to go easy on him so don’t worry. Can’t wait to see you both. _

_ Regarding your decision, I gotta say that I am surprised only in that you have chosen to come out through Creeksecrets. I have to be honest, that was not my first choice when I came out-even though Bram technically did under his pseudonym. So I guess this would not be the first time it was used for that. As I mentioned to you last week, when I messed things up with my friends (and Bram), that’s when I made my post. But, people already knew by then of course that I was gay. So my post wasn’t for the school, but an apology for my friends.  _

_ This is where we differ. You have already gotten ahead of where I was: You’ve told all the people that most matter in your life: Your parents, your sister, your brother, Felix and now Mia.  _

_ I’ve read your draft of the post and it’s great. I don’t have anything to add to it because these are your words and it's your choice. If this is how you want to come out, then I am here to support you. But I also don’t want you to rush into this. Let’s be honest: You've had a lot happen recently and if you wanted to take a pause, that is okay. No one says you have to rush to be out. At the same time, if anyone gets the desire to fully be yourself, it’s me. _

_ I’m not gonna lie though, you have no idea how others will react to this. Some will surprise you in how kind and accepting they are. Others, I am sorry to say, will let you down and disappoint you. And the thing is, by telling everyone at once, you are making a one size fits all announcement. Again, that is your choice- I just want you to be  _ **_absolutely_ ** _ sure before you go through with it because once done, there is no going back. As you know from my story, nothing is ever gone once it is on the Internet. _

_ In the end though, this is about you and doing what you think is right for you. So I guess my advice is this: Trust your gut. If you feel in your gut that this is the right course of action, then go for it and know that we are here to support you. _

_ See you soon. _

_ Love, _

_ Simon _

Victor re-read the message again. He understood of course what Simon was saying. But then, Simon had hit on it. Victor already told the people he cared about. He just didn’t feel like having a whisper campaign if he was seen holding hands with Benji or kissing him in the halls. Sure, he could just let his friends spread it. If he gave Andrew and Lake permission, it would probably be over by lunch time. But then it would be told through a filter. It would not come from him. He thought back to what Simon’s father had said. Simon did not have a choice. It was taken from him. And this morning, Victor nearly had the same thing happen. He’d already had close calls with Andrew and Mia. He could not keep trying to hide this. And in truth, he didn’t want to hide it. He was ready. He wanted people to know his truth and to hear it from him.

He set his alarm for 6am, placed the phone on the table and prepared to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was a big day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I believe, that will wrap Sunday and what was probably one of the longest weekends of Victor's life ever.
> 
> Big day tomorrow for Victor.


	13. Morning Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Mia meet with Ms. Albright and the new Principal of Creekwood High School.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone for your feedback. I really do appreciate it as it has impacted some minor plotting decisions for future chapters. So please keep the comments coming as it definitely inspires me.
> 
> This next phase of chapters is going to have some ups and downs for Victor so fair warning. Again, part of the show is how Victor and company deal with these scenarios. So while I will always maintain a hopeful and positive message, I will not shy away from prejudice, racism, and homophobia. 
> 
> All I can promise you is that no matter what, Victor will be okay.

As they had discussed last night, Victor’s father dropped him off early the next morning so that he would not be late for his appointment with Ms. Albright. Victor was grateful that Pilar had opted to walk Felix to school so he would not feel alone. He looked over at his father. It had been a quiet ride. After two days of talking, Armando felt the best thing he could do was stay silent and be there to listen if Victor wanted to talk. But his son was tired of talking. He’d done nothing but talk and he knew he would soon have to do even more talking when he got to school. So, he saved his energy and simply flashed his father a few smiles every time he glanced over just to let him know that he was okay.

When they arrived at the drop off, Armando turned to his son and said. “If you need me, just call.” The rest of that statement did not need to be completed. Victor knew that no force on earth would stop Armando Salazar from coming to his son’s aide if he needed it.

Victor nodded and gave his father another half smile before grabbing his bag, opening the car door, and stepping outside. 

"Bye pap." he said. He closed the car door.

He slung his bag around his shoulder and let out a sigh. His father waited until Victor turned around and gave him a slow wave. Then, after returning the wave, Armando put the car in drive and proceeded to the exit, merging back into traffic. Victor watched for a while until the car disappeared from his view.

Creekwood was quiet at this time in the morning. As was typical of most high school students, they would wait until the last possible minute to arrive, many of them at least five minutes past when classes should have started.

Only the teachers were arriving at this time. Victor paused as he saw a car pull up by him. The door opened and Mia stepped out. She saw Victor and acknowledged him with a quick nod of her head. She didn’t smile but she wasn’t cold either. Victor looked in the car to see Mia’s father watching him, his stone-faced. Victor could tell exactly why Mia’s father looked like that and knew it was because of him. He simply acknowledged the other man with a respectful bow of his head. Mia’s father did not acknowledge it. Instead, he looked away and proceeded to drive off as quickly as possible.

“I’m sorry Victor.” Mia said with a sigh, “He’s still really upset about the whole thing.”

Victor turned to face Mia and nodded, “I get it Mia. You both have a right to be mad at me.”

Mia scoffed. “Oh I am.” she assured, and she playfully hit his shoulder, “But I’m slowly coming around.” She flashed him a smile. It wasn’t her usual room brightening smile. It was more sad and subdued.

Victor met her smile with his own half smile. He could feel the tension between them. 

Yes, they had talked. And while Mia had forgiven him and Victor knew it was genuine, it was a lot to expect things would just return to normal after the weekend. Victor knew this intellectually. But internally, he was still hurting.

Mia looked at Victor and gestured with her arm to the school. “Shall we head in? We don’t want to be late.”

Victor nodded and he started walking. Mia fell to his side, looking at him every time he glanced her way and giving that same sad smile. She _wanted_ to be there for him. But it was hard. And she could not hide just how hard it was. But to Victor, that effort meant everything. Mia was a true friend and Victor owed her so much. So he kept smiling back to let her know he appreciated it.

As they passed through the doors to Creekwood High, Ms. Albright was already standing in the main lobby waiting. Wearing a dark navy suit and purple top, her hair was up in a bun and she seemed to be even more on edge than usual. But she still managed to smile as she approached the two students.

“Victor. Mia.” Ms. Albright said. Her usual feisty attitude seemed more subdued. She was clearly taking this matter very seriously.

“Hi Ms. Albright. Did you get my email?” Victor asked.

The acting Vice Principal nodded. “Let’s go somewhere more private to talk. Follow me.”

Victor inclined his head. He and Mia turned to follow Ms. Albright as she led them into the main office. The secretary smiled as they approached and greeted them with a warm “Good Morning.”

Ms. Albright acknowledged it as did Victor and Mia and they smiled briefly as they followed Ms. Albright to the back offices. However, rather than enter her office as Victor had expected, Ms. Albright let them into the Principal’s office.

Ms. Albright paused and looked at both Victor and Mia and she let out a long, deep, sigh and Victor seemed to think she was saying a silent prayer for strength. She opened the door and motioned for the two to go in.

Victor had never been to the Principal’s Office in his life. And in truth, he didn’t even know _who_ the principal of Creekwood High was. He only knew about Ms. Albright when she first greeted him all those weeks earlier. He was almost surprised to learn that they had a principal as he could never recall seeing the person anywhere- not even at the dance on Friday.

Mia also seemed puzzled until she spotted the figure rising to greet them. 

“Mr. Worth?” she asked in a surprised tone. “You’re back?”

Victor blinked. Mr. Worth? The previous Vice Principal who was bit by a monkey and then quarantined?  _ That _ Mr. Worth?

Mr. Worth was a balding man in his late forties. As he saw him, Victor realized that this was indeed the same man that Ms. Albright had shown him a picture of when he first arrived. He saw a large bandage over Mr. Worth’s nose- likely hiding a nasty monkey bite. He was dressed in an old grey suit that had clearly been worn many times before and a simple patterned brown tie. The only color on him was the small rainbow PRIDE flag pin on his lapel. He smiled warmly at both of them and moved to shake Mia’s hand.

“Mia! How are you!?” Mr. Worth exclaimed before realizing she probably wasn’t doing too well at all. “I mean… besides…” his voice got low as he trailed off and instead looked at Victor. He extended his hand to Victor. “And you must be Victor. VIC-TOR!” he shouted. Victor stood there nervous and unsure what to do. To his right, he could see Ms. Albright rolling her eyes.

Mr. Worth looked back at Victor and got serious. “Ms. Albright showed me the post. I’m so sorry that this happened.” He said. He then held up a finger triumphantly “But, the good news is that our security measures caught it!”

“ _MY_ Security measures.” Ms. Albright piped up. “Don’t forget who pushed for approval of anonymous posts.” she reminded him with a look.

Mr. Worth nodded quickly. “Right right. Of course Ms. Albright. You were right to push for that after what happened with Simon.” He turned back to Victor and smiled. “And I hear that you have met our mutual friend Sy-mone!” he said and Victor wondered why Mr. Worth continued to say everyone’s names wrong when he was clearly capable of pronouncing them correctly.

Victor nodded. “Yes sir. He’s been a big help to me ever since I got here.”

Mr. Worth nodded enthusiastically. “He was a great kid. And I hear he and Bram are still together? That’s great! Team SiBram!”

“Oh nooo. Nuh uh” Ms. Albright said, resisting the urge to put her palm to her face. Mr.Worth nodded. He would workshop the name. Maybe _Brimon_? He decided to make a mental note to ask her later.

Mr. Worth paused and looked around at everyone. “We should sit. Right?” he asked motioning a seating motion with his hands.

Victor looked at Mia and they both nodded.

Mr. Worth gestured for them to take a seat in his sitting area near the window. Mia and Victor sat on the couch while Mr. Worth sat in the opposite chair. Ms. Albright however chose to remain standing and stood to Victor’s left so that she was between Mr. Worth and Victor.

Victor peered around the room and could tell that Mr. Worth had just moved in. Aside from the boxes that were piled around his messy desk, there was not much on the wall except a poster that said _“Open Door, Open Ears”_.

Mr. Worth sat forward on the edge of his chair and interlocked his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees.

“ So Victor, I’m sorry that this is how we’re first meeting.” Mr. Worth said. He gestured to the office. “As you might have guessed, after returning from my”, he raised his fingers into the air to make air quotes “sabbatical”, I was promoted to be the new principal of Creekwood. And Ms. Albright is now officially Creekwood high school’s new Vice Principal.”

Victor nodded politely. He was sure there was a fascinating reason for this, but he really didn’t care what happened to the previous principal. He was a bit more interested in his own matter.

Mr. Worth paused and looked from Victor to Mia. “So, I read the post...” he said, looking at the two of them. 

Again, Victor nodded and Mia joined him. They had expected that. They waited for the principal to continue.

“But no one besides Ms. Albright and I have seen it.” he assured them, placing a one hand in front of his mouth like he was whispering a secret to them. He put his hand down and paused, clearly uncomfortable.

Ms. Albright was not as patient. “Victor, Mia, I know _you_ know who did this. If you tell us, we can take action.”

Mr. Worth looked at Ms. Albright and nodded. That was what he was getting to. He looked at Victor, again getting serious now. “No one has the right to take away your choice of how and when to come out Victor. That is yours and yours alone. And I’m sorry that someone tried to take that from you.”

Victor nodded. He did appreciate that. But at the same time, he really was past the point of caring what others thought about his coming out.

“I appreciate that sir. But the only thing that upset me is that it would hurt Mia.” He turned to Mia, realizing this was the first time the two of them had been face to face. It had been easier Friday night on the phone. But, he owed it to her to say it again to her face.

He looked into her eyes. “Mia, I know you’ve forgiven me, but I do want to tell you to your face that I never meant to hurt you. And I will do whatever you want next. If you are still okay with my decision to come out, then I will today. But if, for any reason, you want me to wait, I will. I owe you that.”

Mia looked at Victor and sighed. “Victor, you can’t protect me any more than you can protect yourself.” Mia knew this and she knew Victor did as well. Aside from Mr. Worth, everyone in the room was a person of color. They knew prejudice and dealt with it everyday. She continued. “People will react how they choose to react. We can’t control that. But what we can control is how we tell them.” She reached out with her left hand and rested it on top of Victor’s right hand. She squeezed his hand and then released, returning it to her lap. Victor looked at her and smiled softly.

Mr. Worth looked at Ms.Albright. She shrugged. It was out of her hands. Victor looked back at the principal.

“I’m sorry siry, but I can’t tell you who wrote that post. All you need to know is that they apologized and promised not to publish it again. They were hurting and I....I choose to forgive them.”

Mr. Worth sat back in his chair and draped his arms on the armrests. He lightly tapped on one armrest with his right hand as he was thinking. Finally he looked at Victor and said. 

“Okay Victor. If that is what you want, I’ll respect your decision. We’ll drop this.”

Ms. Albright looked incensed. “They are lucky I don’t know who it is. Because if I did-”

Mr. Worth held up a hand to stop her. “Victor has made his decision. And it’s a mature one.” he said, flashing Victor a reassuring smile.

While Mr. Worth was clearly a very awkward man who tried too hard to be cool, Victor could tell that he really did care about the well-being of his students. And while he was grateful that Ms. Albright was willing to go to bat for him, he didn’t see any benefit in Derek suffering any further. That would only hurt Benji in the long run.

Mr. Worth leaned forward again and looked from Mia to Victor. “Now Victor, Ms. Albright also shared your email with me. Are you sure you want to come out to the whole school in such a public way?”

Victor paused. He looked back at Mia and she shrugged. As she had said, she was content to leave this to Victor. It was his narrative and his choice how and when to tell it.

Victor looked at Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright. He knew they were not on board. He knew his family wasn’t. He knew his friends and Simon also didn’t love this decision. But, Victor had spent the evening thinking long and hard about what Simon said. And that moment, sitting across from Mr.Worth, Victor knew how to answer.

“Mr. Worth, I have been living with this secret for too long. I just can’t keep it in any longer. I don’t think I should have to and I don’t want to.” He paused as Mr. Worth sat back again, looking at him with concern but also understanding. “I know that this may not be received well by everyone here. But the truth is, I had come to this school planning to come out. I hid who I was because I was scared and I wanted to fit in.”

He looked at Mia and saw that she was looking back, still sad, not at what he had done to her, but what he had done to _himself_. 

Pity. Victor knew it. He hated being pitied, but more, he hated that Mia felt she needed to pity him. Why? What was there to feel pity about? He was who he was. He looked back at Mr. Worth and saw that Ms. Albright was also hanging on his every word.

“I can’t hide this anymore. This secret is like a wild river against a dam about to crack and I can’t hold it back any more.”

“Victor,” Ms. Albright said softly, “Does your family know?”

Victor nodded. “I told them everything on Friday night. They’ve been really supportive. And they know that I’ve decided to come out to everyone in school. My friends know as well.” he said, looking at Mia.

Ms. Albright remained silent but she looked at Mr. Worth waiting for him to say something.

Mr. Worth looked across at Victor and cleared his throat. Victor could tell he was nervous.

“You’re an incredibly brave young man Victor.” Mr. Worth replied, “Ultimately, this is your decision. But if you want to do this in such a public fashion, there are some things I would like you to do.”

Victor looked at the other man and waited to hear the terms. 

Mr. Worth raised his index finger. “First, I’d like you to speak with a counselor. This morning. Ms. Albright will get you in. Don’t worry about classes, I’ll speak with your teachers.”

Victor was sure his mind wasn’t going to change by talking with a counselor, but he nodded just the same.

Mr. Worth raised his second finger. “Second, I would like to talk to your parents. You are still under the age of eighteen so while I have the right to call them, I would still prefer it if I had your permission. Do I have your consent to speak with them about this?”

Victor nodded again. He was fine with that.

Mr. Worth breathed a sigh of relief and then he raised his third finger. “Third, you have to report any bullying to Ms. Albright immediately. I don’t care if you think it’s small. I don’t care if you think it’s not a big deal. You have to let us help you.” his voice was firm on this point. He was not negotiating now.

Victor paused. He knew that some of his classmates were not mature enough to handle this, but to have them dragged off to Ms. Albright’s office even if they made an offensive remark? What did that accomplish really?

“This school has a zero tolerance policy on bullying Victor. But if you don’t tell us, we won’t be able to help you.” Mr. Worth said.

Victor shifted on the couch. He was not a fan of this. It might only make matters worse. Ms. Albright seemed to sense that.

“I’ll be right back.” she said.

Mr. Worth looked at her, puzzled, but he nodded. She quickly went to the door and closed it behind her.

Victor looked at Mia, unsure of what she was doing. Mr. Worth also looked at the closed door, waiting for her to return. Until she did, they sat in silence. No one knowing quite what to say or do next.

Finally, the door opened and Ms. Albright returned with a picture frame in hand. 

Ms. Albright walked over to the seating area and handed Victor the frame.

Victor looked at her puzzled and then he accepted the frame. He turned it around and instantly recognized the photo.

It was of Simon and Bram kissing on the Ferris Wheel. Every video Victor had seen had been grainy, but this photo was sharper and the frame surrounding it was silver. On the bottom it was engraved: Simon Spier and Bram Greenfield’s First Kiss. Winter Carnival 2018.

Victor looked back at the woman. He was unsure why she had gone to the trouble of engraving a frame. He handed it back to her and she set it down on the table in front of Mr. Worth so he could look.

He peered down and nodded to himself. Mia looked at the photo and also seemed puzzled at the meaning.

Finally, Ms. Albright explained. “That frame’s engraving was paid for from money I made after I sold a student’s portable speaker. It wasn’t worth much, but it covered that.” she said, pointing to the lettering at the bottom. 

Victor was puzzled. Why would she proudly talk about selling a student’s portable speaker? But Mr. Worth seemed to understand what she was getting at.

Finally, Ms. Albright sighed and pulled a chair from Mr. Worth’s desk over to the seating area. She sat down between Mr. Worth and Victor and looked at the young man in front of her.

“That speaker was used as part of a deliberate act by two students to bully Simon and another student after Simon was outed.” she sighed. “It was awful to watch a good student like Simon suffer.”

Victor looked at her and saw the pain on her face. “But Ms. Albright, you’re the one that told me about Simon. _You_ told me about the winter carnival.”

Ms. Albright nodded. “I did. And it remains my favorite story because Simon was able to overcome what had happened and his bravery enabled not just Bram, but others to share their own secrets.” she looked at Victor and continued. “And it seems, now you as well.”

Victor looked at her and nodded. There was no denying that Simon's act had inspired him.

Ms. Albright pointed to the frame. “I got this picture frame engraved because I wanted to take a negative event and turn it into something positive. As I told you when we first met, the Winter Carnival can be magical. And that photo serves as a reminder for me.”

Ms. Alright looked at Mr. Worth and Mia before turning back to Victor. “I am very proud of you for wanting to come out Victor. I am. But if you are going to get through what comes next, I _need_ to know that you will come to me. I need you to know that you can trust me.”

Mr. Worth piped in. “Victor, Creekwood High School preaches tolerance, but the only way we can make sure that happens is if you let us in.” 

Ms. Albright cautiously placed a hand on top of Victor’s and waited until his eyes met hers.

“You said before that your secret is like a dam about to burst. I need to know that you won’t try to build a new dam and hold back secrets about how your classmates are treating you.”

Victor looked at Mia again. He was glad she was there to support him. He searched her eyes, hoping she had the answer. Finally, she spoke in a gentle tone. “They’re right Victor." she shrugged. "If you do this, we don’t know how everyone will react. So you need allies. You have me and Felix and Benji of course. And Lake, Andrew and Pilar. But we can only do so much.”

Victor looked at her and he nodded. He turned back to face Ms. Albright and Mr. Worth.

“Okay”, he said. “If something happens, I will tell you.”

Ms. Albright nodded. “Okay, let’s get you in to see a counselor. Follow me.”

****

As promised, Ms. Albright had gotten Victor in right away to see one of the school counselors. It was clear that Mr. Worth had already talked to the man as some of the same concerns he had were reiterated in the counselor’s session with Victor.

However, what surprised Victor about his counselor was that he himself was openly gay and not only that, he was married. Victor had not met anyone who had actually married his or her partner. He assumed that Ms. Albright and Mr. Worth had chosen him specifically for that reason.

His name was Mr. Harris and he was younger than Mr.Worth by at least five years. He was thin and still had all his blonde hair, though it was cut short and spiked with gel. His face was freshly shaved and he had a pair of glasses that rested on the yellow notepad on his lap that he must have used for reading, but his piercing blue eyes seemed to see straight through Victor. Unlike the other administrators, Mr. Harris was not wearing a suit. He did have a dark green vest with a white shirt and black tie. His black pants and shoes were visible as he sat in his chair with one leg crossed over the other.

Victor had spoken with Mr. Harris for at least forty-five minutes, having explained everything that had happened, including Simon, Benji, Mia and his family’s separation. Mr. Harris had listened patiently, not unlike Simon’s mother. Finally, after letting Victor take some time to catch his breath after spilling his guts, he looked Victor in the eye.

“Why Creeksecrets?” Mr. Harris asked.

Victor shrugged. “Because I don’t want my coming out to feel like death by a thousand cuts.” 

He expected Mr. Harris to follow up on that visual, but instead he just nodded. He got the metaphor. Perhaps, Victor wondered, he had been through that himself.

“Victor, have you truly prepared yourself for the fallout of this?”

“I have sir.” Victor answered confidently.

“Are you prepared to have classmates ‘accidentally’ bump into you, students avoid looking you in the face? Are you prepared for some of your teachers to treat you differently?”

Victor blinked. He didn’t think teachers could do that.

Mr. Harris explained. “Yes, what Mr. Worth said is true. Creekwood preaches tolerance. But Victor, I’ve been openly gay for nearly twenty years now. I came to this school as an openly gay man. And I still have co-workers who can’t look me in the eye when I enter this school every day.”

Victor frowned. He hadn’t heard of that. Mr. Harris continued. “I want to be clear. They have never said anything bad to me. They’ve always been polite and friendly. But their body language makes it clear to me that they are not comfortable with who I am. And it seems, they may never be.”

He sighed and uncrossed his legs, leaning forward so he was sitting on the edge of his seat as he looked at Victor.

“Everyone thinks that homophobia is limited to physical violence or offensive slurs. It’s not. There are hundreds of microaggressions we encounter every day. And I’m so sorry to tell you this Victor, but you will experience this as well.”

Victor appreciated the man’s honesty. But this was not really news to a brown skinned young man from Texas.

“Sir, look at me. I have been called all sorts of names for as long as I can remember because of how I look. I’ve seen those microaggressions you’re talking about. I get that this may be different. But I can’t change my sexuality any more than I can change my skin color.”

Mr. Harris looked at Victor and smiled sadly. That, Victor now realized, was the answer he had been looking for.

“Okay.” Mr.Harris said.

“Sir?”

“I believe you are ready Victor. I believe you understand what you are doing. If this is truly how you wish to come out, I will let Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright know that you have not changed your mind.”

Victor let out a sigh of relief. Mr. Harris smiled at him.

“I do want to see you for a few more sessions though.” he said, “to make sure that you are coping with anything that might happen.”

Victor smiled. He didn’t mind that. Mr. Harris was one of the few people he felt comfortable being able to talk to about everything. Besides Benji of course.

Mr. Harris sat back in his chair and looked at Victor.

“Victor, I have to say, you are far braver at your age than I ever was.”

Victor sat in his chair, unsure what to say. He realized that many people had called him brave. And maybe that was true. But he didn’t feel brave. He felt like this was a natural decision. This was just who he was. And it was time to accept that.

He stood up and thanked Mr. Harris, firmly shaking his hand. Then, grabbing his bag, he turned and left the office.

****

Mr. Worth had already spoken to his teachers so when he arrived for Ms. Thomas’ sex education class nearly twenty minutes late, she simply nodded at him and let him take his seat. Victor noticed that Andrew and Lake were watching him, so he turned and gave them a slight nod. He would be fine.

Class continued and Victor did his best to pay attention, but he knew that he would not be able to focus. Instead, as soon as the bell rang, he made his way to his locker. He was relieved to remember that he had a study hall next and then lunch. As he made his way to his locker to retrieve his books, he saw another student walking straight towards him. As she got closer, she made direct eye contact and he knew exactly who she was. She looked like a combination of her parents but there was something about that smile that immediately reminded Victor of her brother.

“Hey Victor”, she said. “I’m Simon’s sister Nora.”

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed the return of Mr. Worth. I really loved Tony Hale's portrayal in Love, Simon and this felt like a natural way to bring him back in. And now with Nora, all the Spiers have met Victor.
> 
> If I did my math right, Nora would be 16 and in Victor's class. But given it has only been three months and the school is fairly big, it's possible for Victor not to have run into Nora yet.


	14. The Post

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Nora chat.  
> The gang has lunch.  
> Victor makes his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Thank you so much for all of your wonderful feedback. So this is the spark that ignites things going forward. I wrote and revised this chapter a few times so if there are any typos, please bear with me and let me know so I can fix.
> 
> I am still planning nightly updates but do admit that I am struggling just a little with some of these later chapters so if I do miss a night this week, please know it's because I want to make sure I am doing justice to these characters.

Nora smiled at Victor as they walked around the empty track by the football field. It was a bright sunny day and she had suggested it might be nice to go for a walk. As they walked, she began to talk quickly and excitedly. Victor could tell she probably got that from her mother.

“Simon asked me to check in on you.” she admitted. “Mom and dad also wanted to make sure you were okay. But after your decision last night, Simon texted me and asked if I could talk with you.”

Victor blinked. He was a bit surprised that Simon was so concerned, but also not that surprised that he wanted to make sure Victor had a guardian in his absence. He had told Victor on numerous occasions that he was family. So naturally, he would send family to check on family.

Nora looked at Victor and smiled. “I’m happy to do so of course. Mom and Dad had nothing but good things to say about meeting you and your parents. And I know that Simon has come to think of you like a brother.”

Victor looked at her and smiled. He had been surprised at how warmly the Spier family had embraced him and it seemed like Nora was no different from the rest of her family.

“I’m doing okay.” Victor admitted. “I’ve made my decision.”

Nora nodded. “I know. I hope you don’t mind, but Simon shared your post with me. It’s really good Victor. And it’s really courageous of you to want to do this.”

Victor paused and Nora stopped walking as well. There it was again. He was ‘courageous’ this time instead of ‘brave’. They acted like he was fighting cancer or something. This was just who he was. Why should admitting that be considered such an act of bravery?

Nora seemed to catch his frustration through his body language and she continued. “Listen, when I saw the post about Simon, I was so scared for him. I emailed Creeksecrets to get them to take the post down and then I went into his room to check on him immediately.”

Victor could see that it was not a pleasant memory. “He was really upset, Victor. He’d had his coming out taken from him. And I said something I really regret.” She sighed and looked back at Victor. “I told him he could deny it.”

Victor stopped in his tracks. She did what?

Nora halted her own pace and cringed. “I just wanted my brother not to hurt. But at the time, I didn’t realize what I was saying to him. And he got really mad. He told me he wasn’t ashamed to be gay.” She paused and looked at Victor. “So, I get it Victor. You need to do this for you because you aren’t ashamed. And you shouldn’t be. I am _proud_ that my brother is an openly gay man and that he has found someone who he loves. And I am proud of you as well Victor.” 

She proceeded to walk again and Victor followed by her side. “I know Simon told you to trust your gut. So I just want to ask you, even though I think I know already, what does your gut say?”

Victor looked at her and saw that she was smiling at him. He smiled back. “It says that I’m making the right decision. I need to do this for me.”

Nora smiled. “Good. I agree with you.” she said.

He blinked, surprised to hear that. It seemed like everyone else thought he was making a huge mistake. 

She laughed and explained. “This is not about the school or what they think. This is about you being able to live your life the way you want. I could tell from your post that this secret has been eating away at you like it did with Simon.”

She put a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “But Victor, you are not Simon. Your path is different.”

Victor raised his eyebrow. “Except it’s really not if I’m also coming out using Creeksecrets.”

Nora waved a hand, batting away the comparison. “Simon was outed. You are making the choice to tell people who you are. And I know many people here will embrace you for it.” she smiled.

“Not everyone will.” Victor pointed out.

“Yes” Nora said sadly, “But that’s their problem. And their problem shouldn’t become your problem.” 

She paused before looking him in the eye. “You should never let close-minded people stop you from being who you are. Just know that you _are_ strong enough to handle whatever comes next because you have people who love and support you. You just have to make sure to let them in and have faith that they will show up for you.”

She patted him on the shoulder and they continued their walk around the empty track. Yeah, Victor thought, she was definitely the daughter of Emily Spier and the sister to Simon Spier. And just like them, she gave great advice exactly when he needed to hear it most.

He looked around the track and saw the exit up ahead. Victor knew that soon one of the teams would be out practicing and he started to feel his own stomach rumble as a reminder that lunch was soon approaching.

He turned to Nora. “Would you like to join me and my friends for lunch?”

Nora smiled. “That depends” she said with a gleam in her eye, “Do I get to meet Benji?”

Victor laughed. Of course. They _all_ wanted to meet Benji. He shrugged. “I guess you’ll be the first one to meet him.”

Nora pumped her fist in the air and hissed “ _Yesss!_ _**Suck it Bram!**_ ” 

Victor couldn’t help but laugh. Nora laughed as well and smiled at Victor. In that moment, Victor almost felt like with her smile, Nora could tell the future. And she knew that no matter what happened next, he would be okay.

The two made their way back to the school and into the cafeteria. On their way, Ms.Albright saw them passing by and she nodded. Victor acknowledged her with a slight incline of his head as well and continued into the cafeteria to get in line.

****

Nora and Victor found everyone at their usual table outside on the patio. Lake was sitting rather close to Felix and Victor could tell his friend was enjoying having a girlfriend out in public as opposed to secretly meeting up for makeout sessions in the janitor’s closet. 

Andrew and Mia sat opposite them and Victor could tell by the physical distance that while they wanted to be closer together, they were still trying to figure things out so there was a small gap of space between them. Benji sat next to Felix and left enough room for a small person to sit. As they approached, everyone looked up at Nora, puzzled by her arrival.

“Everyone, this is Nora. Nora, this is”

“Hi Mia. Hi Lake. And you two are Andrew and Felix. And _you_ must be Benji.” Nora said, causing Benji’s eyebrows to raise in surprise. The men at the table looked at Nora just a little bit scared. Especially Felix. Victor just chuckled and motioned for Nora to sit near Benji while he sat opposite them and next to Andrew.

Nora wasted no time in talking to Benji. “So you are the infamous Benji.” she said.

Benji swallowed, unsure of what to say. “I guess?” he answered.

“I’m Simon’s sister.” Nora explained and comprehension dawned on Benji’s face as he made the connection.

Victor quickly filled everyone else in about his conversations with Simon and how much help he had been. Of course, everyone at the table had heard of Simon Spier but they were surprised to hear how much of an impact he had had on Victor’s time at Creekwood. While Nora was a new face to Victor, Mia and Lake knew her from Spanish class and proceeded to discuss the class and the teacher.

Felix meanwhile was attempting to explain another board game to Andrew and Victor could tell that Andrew was losing patience. Benji was just staring at Victor and smiling softly. Victor could tell that the unspoken question behind the staring was _‘Are you okay? Really?’_

Victor just kept smiling back and slowly nodded his head. He was.

Felix turned to Victor and lowered his voice. “How’d it go?”

Victor shrugged. “They aren’t gonna stop me if that’s what you mean.”

Lake leaned forward across the table. “When are you posting?” she asked.

Victor looked at everyone and leaned forward so they could hear him. “Right after last period.”

He had worked it out with Ms. Albright. At the end of the day, he was to go to her office and review the statement one last time. If he was satisfied, he would publish it and it would go live immediately. In less than three hours, the whole school would know that Victor Salazar was an out and proud young gay man.

“Don’t forget that we have to talk to Sarah when we get to work.” Benji said.

Victor nodded. Given that they were now officially dating, the two wanted to make sure that they were following workplace requirements. For them, that meant meeting with Sarah to tell them they were dating. Benji didn’t seem concerned. While Sarah was a bit high maintenance, she didn’t seem to care about anyone’s romantic preferences. She only cared if they could make coffee and work an espresso machine. And Victor and Benji could do both.

“Do you think you guys can still work shifts together?” Felix asked.

Victor was silent. He didn’t know. He hoped so. He couldn’t imagine having to work an entire shift without Benji by his side. He looked at Benji and knew that he was thinking the same thing. Benji turned to Felix. 

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with our work, I think we’ll be allowed to work together.”

Mia nodded. “I’m sure you two will be able to work together just fine.”

Andrew added. “Yeah, I mean think about how much easier it will be now that you're together and there’s no more tension between you both.”

Victor looked at Andrew and nodded. He was probably right. It might be easier now that he could fully let his guard down around Benji. All those times he had to be careful of what he said or be careful how long he stared. Now Benji knew everything.

He looked back at Benji and smiled. Underneath the table, the two held hands. In a few short hours, they would do so publicly and everyone would know why.

****

After lunch, Nora had headed off to class. She gave Victor a big hug and told her to call if he needed anything. Benji had given Victor a peck on the cheek when no one was looking and reminded him that he would be right outside the office when it was done. Mia, Andrew and Lake had wished him luck. Felix had insisted on walking him to his next class and Victor knew his friend was just checking to make sure that he was okay.

Victor had barely paid any attention for the remaining two classes of the day. Naturally, his last class was math. And, in addition to being a subject Victor struggled with, it also happened to be one of the few classes he shared with Benji.

And it seemed that Benji was also having trouble focusing today as he kept glancing back to make sure Victor was okay. Fortunately, their teacher seemed more focused on the algebraic equation on the board and solving it. If he caught the two of them glancing at each other, he said nothing.

The bell rang and Victor quickly made his way to the main office before other students started to head for the exit.

Ms. Albright was waiting for him at the front desk. She led him to her office and closed the door.

Victor looked around and saw that the office was roughly half the size of Mr.Worth’s. It didn’t have much privacy thanks to a glass window attached to the door. While there was plenty of Creekwood high memorabilia, there was also a large Lion King theater poster on the back wall. On a side table, Victor could see several images of students and prominently placed was the framed picture of Simon and Bram on the Ferris Wheel.

Ms. Albright motioned for Victor to take a seat as she walked over to sit at her desk.

“Okay Victor, this is it. Last chance to back out.” she said. She wasn’t trying to stop him, he knew. She just wanted to make _sure_ he was sure.

Victor took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m ready.”

Ms. Albright nodded and turned her computer screen to face Victor as he read the post one last time.

_Students of Creekwood High-_

_I have a confession to make. I lied to you all. And I am sorry. But I hope, by the end of this post, you will understand my reasons and hopefully come to forgive and eventually accept me._

_My name is Victor Salazar and I am proud to tell you that I am gay._

_For some of you, this is probably not a surprise. But for others, I can only say that I am sorry if you ever felt misled. That was never my intention. You see, this was not a choice that just happened one day. It was the result of my own journey of self-discovery. Someone very special once told me that sexuality is not necessarily a straight line. And for me, that was indeed the case._

_Before I go any further, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: I did care for and still do care for Mia Brooks. As most of you know, Mia and I had been dating since shortly after I arrived in Creekwood. At that time, like many people my age, I was still discovering what my sexual preference was. Yes, I had felt an attraction to men. But I also felt an attraction to women. The difference, I would come to find out, was that, while I clearly enjoyed being with Mia and being her boyfriend, there was something missing. The attraction that comes with loving someone deeply just wasn’t there. I soon came to realize that while I did and still do love Mia, it is as a friend. As a result, I could not be the boyfriend Mia deserved and I began to feel scared and retreat from our relationship. As some of you may have figured out by our absence on Friday night, we broke up and I told Mia the truth. My truth._

_Mia remains my favorite person. She has forgiven me for the hurt that I caused her. And I appreciate that. Likewise, my friends and family also know that I am gay. Over the weekend, we talked a lot. And over the past few months, I’ve done a lot of soul searching. But I now know with 100% confidence that I am gay. And I will not hide from this truth. My truth._

_I want to stress to my fellow classmates and to my teachers, that I am still me. I am not looking for nor do I want any special treatment. I am still the best friend of Felix Weston. I am still a member of the basketball team. I am still a student just like you. Only now, I am my most authentic self. While I wish I had been certain enough to have introduced myself like this to you all the first time, I am thrilled to now reintroduce myself to all of you here at Creekwood. I’m Victor and I’m gay. I like basketball, movies, and cooking. Some of my favorite music includes Carly Rae Jepsen and I play Baby Shark way too often for my younger brother because in truth, I really like the song too. Probably more than him._

_Many of you know of what has now become the Creekwood legend of Simon Spier. Following Simon’s declaration of love for his boyfriend on this site, many of his fellow students felt comfortable sharing their own secrets with their fellow students. And now, I join them._

_I would like to take the time to personally thank Simon. Shortly after arriving at Creekwood, I reached out to Simon, a confused young kid, unsure of how I felt and who I was. With his guidance and advice, I was able to determine who I was and mustered the courage to tell my friends and family._

_I share all of this with you as an act of trust. Since I arrived at Creekwood, I have been so fortunate to make lasting friendships and to meet my current boyfriend, Benji. And because of that, I could no longer bear to try and hide who I am for another day. Therefore, with the permission of the school, I wanted to make sure that you heard it directly from me and not some whispered rumor over lunch. Yes. I am gay. And I am still me. It is my hope that now that you know this, we can still treat each other the same way we always have- if not better._

_Thank You,_

_Victor Salazar_

  
  


Victor finished reading and looked at Ms. Albright. She handed him the mouse and he navigated to the Post button.

With one click, the post was live and Victor’s life changed forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are. The post is live.
> 
> Thank you again for your great feedback. It really helps to know what you are all thinking as I continue to plot the rest of this story.


	15. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for the amazing feedback. It's been incredibly uplifting and has definitely impacted these next few chapters. Having said that, I am slightly behind schedule in that I have today's chapter and tomorrow's ready but beyond that, it will just depend on how quickly I can write. So if after tomorrow you see me start to skip daily updates, that will be why.
> 
> As to this chapter, I will say that we start to see how everyone reacts to Victor's post. And it is not all good.

Victor’s phone immediately began to light up as he and Benji made their way to Brasstown. He smiled as the messages came flowing in, almost all were happy for him. A few claimed they knew and were happy he was with Benji. Some mourned the loss of another hot guy going gay- Benji laughed at that one. If there were negative comments though, Victor realized he probably wouldn’t see too many on Creeksecrets itself. Though she didn’t say it to him directly, Victor knew that Ms. Albright was probably scanning the comments section and removing anything too negative.

Benji approached Brasstown first and pulled the door open. He motioned for Victor to head in first.

The coffee shop was fairly quiet. The lunch rush had long faded and the next major rush wouldn’t be for another hour. 

Sarah was standing behind the counter with another worker. As she saw them approach, she grabbed a pile of papers, moved from the counter and pointed them to a quiet table out of earshot of any customers.

Benji and Victor quickly sat down as Sarah took the opposite seat.

“So, you’re dating.” Sarah said. Benji had emailed her and told her. Victor noticed that she didn’t seem to be phased by it. He briefly wondered if she even cared.

Benji nodded. “We are.”

Sarah put two pieces of paper in front of them along with two pens.

“Okay. It’s pretty simple. You agree not to sue Brasstown if anything should go wrong romantically between you two.”

“What about shifts?” Victor asked.

Sarah blinked. “What about them?”

“Can we still work together?”

“Look Victor, as long as what you and Benji do together doesn’t impact your work, you can continue on exactly as you were. As long as it doesn’t impact the company, we don’t get involved.”

Victor nodded and picked up the pen ready to sign. Sarah placed a hand on the contract to stop him.

“But” she said, “If I see anything that impacts your work, I will change your shifts immediately. I don’t want a repeat of last week.”

She looked at Benji when she said that and he nodded. He was not planning to transfer again.

Satisfied, Sarah removed her hand and waited while the two boys read the short statement and signed. They handed the statements back to her.

“Okay. I’ll file these and there will be a copy in your employee files. But that’s it. No other requirements on our end.”

She took the two statements and started to get up.

“Really?” Victor asked, surprised it was that easy.

“Really. Now why don’t you both go back and grab an apron. It’s almost time for your shifts anyway.”

****

Benji almost hated to admit it, but Andrew had been 100% right.

At work, Victor had always worked well with Benji. It’s part of what drew him to his now boyfriend. But, Victor had also held back who he was. And, Benji now realized, so had he. 

But now, with no secrets between them, Victor and Benji were acting on one perfect wavelength. As the crowd came in for their evening caffeine fix, Victor quickly took the orders down while Benji filled them.

Sarah had watched from the side, clearly feeling like there was no need for her to jump in. They had the situation well in hand.

When the crowd finally dispersed, Benji took a look at the clock. “Wow, I think that’s a new record for us.” he declared with a laugh.

“Keep it up boys.” Sarah said. She then turned and headed back to her office. Clearly, there was no need for her to worry. She trusted them to manage things.

Benji turned to Victor and showed him his latest latte art.

“It still looks like Steve Harvey.” Victor said with a laugh.

Benji frowned. “It was supposed to be you.”

Victor looked closer and squinted. “Oh yeah. I see it now.” Victor lied.

Benji looked at Victor and rolled his eyes. “My boyfriend is a terrible liar.”

Victor smiled. That was the first time Benji had called him his boyfriend. Sure, Victor had said it in his post on Creeksecrets, but now it had been said out loud. And it felt right.

“Hey! I made you think I was straight for two months.” Victor pointed out. He took a towel from his shoulder and wiped down the front counter.

Benji scoffed. “Okay. I’ll give you that one. But in fairness to me, I was oblivious to all the signs.”

Victor paused his cleaning and leaned over to look at Benji. “What signs?” he demanded.

Benji raised his fingers and started to count. “The first time you applied. The booty shaking to Call Me Maybe. The way you looked at me every shift. Your romantic suggestions. Your scrunch face whenever we talked about Mia.”

“Okay. I get the point.” Victor said, halting him from going to his next hand. He smiled and Benji smiled back.

Victor resumed cleaning the counter and placed the towel back over his shoulder.

He turned to Benji. “I’m gonna go refill the station.” 

He turned back to the storage room and flashed Benji a smile. 

Benji continued cleaning the espresso machine and moved over to the sink to rinse the pitchers for the next round of orders.

As he did so, he noticed Victor walking over to the coffee supply station. Benji could tell that he felt more like himself than he ever had been before. It was evident in Victor’s step.

He continued to scrub the equipment as the hot water rinsed down over his hands. He finished up and had dried and reset everything when Victor came back. 

Benji noticed the change in his mood immediately.

His head was lower to the ground and he looked ready to cry. He also clearly didn’t want Benji to see that he was near tears as he moved quickly toward the storage room.

“Everything alright?” he asked in a concerned tone.

“Fine.” Victor replied as he moved straight for the storage room, avoiding all eye contact with him.

Yeah. Benji had meant it when he said his boyfriend was a terrible liar.

Victor pushed through the storage room door and disappeared before Benji could say anything else.

Benji snapped his head back and retraced Victor’s steps with his eyes. He followed along the path Victor had just taken until he got to the coffee station. Benji could tell that Victor had hastily filled it. There were several lids and stirrers that seemed to have fallen to the ground. And the milk and cream containers were askew. Victor was always perfect with how he placed everything. 

Then Benji’s eyes fell to the table nearest the coffee station and he saw two girls from his class talking in whispered tones. One of them saw Benji looking at them. He smiled and waved. The other girl sent a scowl in his direction and motioned to her friend. The two girls promptly stood up, took their coffees and left.

Benji frowned. It didn’t take a detective to figure out what had happened. One of them had clearly said something to Victor.

He sighed. Victor had been out to the school for less than two hours and already someone had said something offensive to him.

Now Benji had a problem. As Victor’s boyfriend, he simply wanted to run back to the storage room and hold him while he talked or cried or shouted or whatever he wanted. But as an employee trying to continue to work with said boyfriend, he wasn’t able to leave his post unattended.

He considered asking Sarah to watch the front for a moment while he helped Victor with the supplies, but he didn’t want to arouse suspicion. So instead, Benji had to wait the agonizing ten minutes it took for Victor to compose himself and walk back out of the storage room. When he did, it was clear that Victor wanted to pretend that nothing had happened.

“Sorry about that. Had a little trouble putting things away.” Victor said, forcing a smile. Yes. A very bad liar indeed.

Benji nodded. He tried to make it clear in his expression that he knew something had happened and he was willing to talk whenever. Instead, Victor moved towards the counter, eager to change the subject. “Has it been busy?”

Benji shook his head. “No. Pretty quiet right now. Did you want to take your break now?”

Victor looked at Benji and declined “Nah. I’m good. If you want to, go ahead.” He looked back at Benji, trying his best to act like he was fine when both of them knew that deep down, he wasn’t fine.

“All right.” Benji said, deciding that he would resolve this another way. “But when I get back, you’re taking your break. Deal?”

Victor nodded. “Deal.”

Benji looked at him again and saw that Victor was already moving toward the counter to greet the next customer. Benji felt his face flush red. He was angry. Sure, he and Victor had talked about this. And sure, Victor had gone through an entire day of talking about it and preparing himself. But it was another thing to have it actually happen and so soon. 

Benji of course had no idea what the girls had said. But he could tell by how quickly his boyfriend’s mood had shifted that it wasn’t anything good. He went to the lockers and opened his own, withdrawing his phone. As he expected, it had blown up with messages from classmates and friends. They were mostly congratulating him on his new boyfriend. A few however seemed upset that he had gotten with Victor so fast. Benji ignored those messages. He knew the truth and that was all that mattered.

Instead, he pulled up his messaging app and sent out a text. He might not be able to help Victor until his shift was over, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still help in other ways.

****

Mia arrived home to find Veronica in the kitchen. A quick glance around the house confirmed that her father wasn’t home.

“Hi Mia” Veronica said. She was cutting up fruit. “Would you like some? I think I may have started having some cravings.”

Mia laughed. If this was what a craving looked liked, Veronica would be one of the thinnest pregnant ladies ever.

Then she saw Veronica go into the freezer and withdraw a pint of chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup to go with the fruit. Now THAT was a craving.

“Sure” Mia replied. It was definitely an ice cream type of day.

Veronica pulled out two bowls and two spoons and scooped ice cream into each bowl. She then poured the fruit into her bowl and drenched it with the chocolate syrup.

Mia just stuck to her ice cream.

“How was school?” Veronica asked.

“Fine I guess.” Mia started to say. 

Veronica watched her closely. She knew about the morning meeting and was waiting for Mia to say more.

Veronica knew all about Victor. Mia had spent Friday evening crying into her arms and telling her what she had seen. And it was Veronica who had helped her appreciate Victor’s side as well. By the time Victor had called to apologize, Mia felt comfortable enough to share the message with Veronica and, while Veronica sat by her side, she spoke on the phone with Victor and forgave him. 

The two had gotten very close since that night and Mia had to admit, it was nice coming home and seeing someone else that she could talk to. When was the last time her father had a snack for her? Her mother never did she realized.

Before she could say anything else about her day, her phone began buzzing with text messages. Mia picked opened her phone and read them silently.

_ I just saw OMG R U OK? _

_ Mia! I can’t believe Victor did that 2 U!!! Call me! _

_ Good job turning new kid gay! Now do lone stone! _

Mia slammed her phone face down against the counter and fought back tears.

“Mia?” Veronica asked, looking up at her with concern. “What is it?”

Mia sighed and slid her phone over to Veronica. 

The older woman carefully picked up the phone and began reading the text messages. As she did, more kept coming in and Mia could hear the beeps. This of course, only further upset her.

“Oh honey.” Veronica said. She set her spoon down in her nearly empty bowl and quickly circled the kitchen island to Mia. Her arms were outstretched and Mia met them, bursting into tears as soon as she collided with the other woman.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard.” Mia admitted. She knew that as hard as it was for her, it must be ten times as hard for Victor. But she could not deny that she was hurting.

“I know sweetie. I wish it wasn’t so hard. But kids this age are still developing. And they can be so cruel without meaning to be.” Veronica pulled away and looked into Mia’s eyes. She wiped a tear away from the younger girl’s eye and continued.

“The important thing is that you keep your head held high and lean on your friends and family.”

Mia looked at her and nodded. She knew Veronica was right. She had Lake. She had Andrew. Technically she had Victor but she still needed time and she didn’t want to put this on him. And now, she had Veronica too.

Veronica looked at Mia and smiled. “Now, how about we add some M&Ms to that sundae?”

Mia nodded. She grabbed her spoon as Veronica retrieved the candy.

“In situations like this, it’s a good idea to talk to someone.” Veronica said as she returned with the brown bag and handed it to Mia.

“Ms. Albright has me meeting with a counselor tomorrow and every week going forward.”

Veronica nodded. “And are you okay with that?”

Mia shrugged. “I don’t think it can hurt at this point.”

She opened the bag and dumped the candy onto her ice cream. Veronica handed her the whip cream.

“I know that your father can be...difficult to talk to about certain things.” Veronica said diplomatically.

Mia snorted. That was certainly one way to put it. When he had found out about what Victor had done, it took all the two women had to stop him from running over to Victor’s apartment and punching him. And Mia had seen the look on her father’s face when he dropped her off. 

It wasn’t that her father was homophobic she knew. He was angry that Victor had, in his words, ‘used his little girl to figure out that he liked boys.’

Mia hoped with time that her father would cool down, but part of why she had asked for time was so she and her father could process everything that happened. For Victor's sake, she wanted to keep him far away from her father until he had had time to really process everything that happened.

“Please don’t tell him about this.” Mia said. “He’s already so mad at Victor as it is. If he knew about these messages-”

Veronica shushed her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against her. 

“It’ll be our secret.” she promised.

Mia smiled and dug into her sundae.

****

Victor looked up as Benji returned twenty minutes later. He had chosen to focus on cleaning anything behind the counter and making it as neat as possible. 

Benji of course knew why that was. He was distracting himself.

“Hey.” Benji said. He smiled and waited for Victor to look up. Instead, Victor had his back to him and his eyes were focused on the counter as he finished wiping it.

“Hey.” Victor greeted, still trying to be friendly but clearly failing at it. He had to know Benji knew by now.

“Your turn.” Benji said. He rounded the corner of the counter and began tying his apron behind him.

“I’m good.” Victor said, still focused on the counter. His back was still mostly to Benji.

“You have to take a break Vic. It’s the law.” Benji said. He was sure that would settle the issue.

Victor paused from his cleaning and tossed the rag down in defeat. “Fine.” he said with a sigh.

He picked up the rag and moved toward the storage room. Again, Benji tried to get him to look him in the eye and again Victor avoided him. Victor disappeared into the storage room without another word.

Luckily, reinforcements had arrived. Benji looked up as Felix walked in and headed straight to the counter.

“Where is he?” he asked, concern evident in his tone and the look on his face.

“He’s in the backroom.” Benji peered around and saw that Sarah had her door closed. He turned back to Felix. “Go back there Felix. Talk to him.”

Felix nodded and rounded the corner of the counter. He pushed open the door and walked through.

****

Felix found Victor in the locker room. He had just put his apron away and had his phone in hand. Felix noticed that he was not looking at it.

“Hey man.” Felix said gently.

Victor looked up and Felix felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Victor was crestfallen. He looked ready to cry at any moment and Felix decided that that moment was now.

He quickened his pace and had his arms around Victor in three large steps. His best friend squeezed, holding onto him for dear life as the tears started flowing. Felix felt his balance shift as he took on more of Victor’s weight and he leaned against the nearby lockers for support as Victor sobbed softly into his puffy black vest.

Felix just held him, resting his chin gently on the top of his head and swaying slowly back and forth as Victor just let it out. Sometimes, Felix decided, it was better to just say nothing. So aside from a few “Shh. Shhs” and “It’s okay” Felix remained silent as Victor continued to shake in his arms.

Finally, after what felt to Felix like at least five minutes or more, Victor quieted down. Felix rubbed his back gently and looked down. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Victor looked up at him through teary eyes and shook his head. He didn’t want to repeat what had been said. 

“Okay.” Felix said. He pulled Victor tighter and continued rubbing his back slowly. Victor stopped sobbing but just rested his head against Felix’s shoulder. He knew he was safe there. He knew nothing would hurt him as long as he had Felix surrounding him. Finally, his voice barely above a whisper, Victor mumbled “Benji called you?”

Felix looked down and saw Victor was not looking up this time. “Yeah man. He did. He pretty much put two and two together. Whatever they said to you, that’s on them. I know it's hard, but don’t let them get to you. And talk to Benji dude. He’s hurting right now because he sees you hurting. He wants to help. You promised all of us that you’d let us in.”

Victor felt the tears returning and he sobbed a bit more, making Felix’s already damp vest get further wet with his tears. “I know Felix. I know I promised everyone I’d be okay. But all it took was a few comments from two girls I barely know and I-”

“Hey, hey. I get it man. You’re talking to ‘Lone Stone’ remember?” Felix tried to force a laugh but it didn’t really come. Instead a halfhearted sound emerged.

He couldn’t laugh at those memories because they weren't funny. They were incredibly painful. Felix had endured years of torment over a stupid, immature nickname. Even Ms. Albright had called him Lone Stone on occasion. So he knew. He knew exactly what it felt like to be on the receiving end of hurtful comments. But Victor had been there for him. He’d been a true friend to him and helped him. 

So of course when Benji called, Felix didn’t hesitate to come down. He would have arrived sooner, but when Benji had mentioned it was two girls from class, Lake was with him. When he left her, she was furiously scrolling through every Creekwood social media account, determined to retrace the steps of every female in their class and identify the girls who had upset Victor and make them pay. And given the fire in her eyes as she scrolled, Felix didn’t doubt that she could and would do it too. 

He continued holding Victor, waiting to see if his friend would say anything else. But it seemed like Victor was done talking for now. So Felix just held him and Victor just leaned against his vest occasionally sobbing and then stopping.

****

Victor’s twenty minute break had ended ten minutes ago. Fortunately, it was a quiet night and Benji managed to handle the counter without issue. Also fortunate for Benji, Sarah had had to leave early while Victor was still on his break. Benji had promised he and Victor would lock up. 

Benji continued to look out at the other customers. Only two tables still had guests nursing their drinks and doing work. It had already gotten dark and soon it would be closing time. But Victor was still not back. Benji’s eyes kept darting to the storage room, but he knew he needed to let Felix handle this one.

A creak of the storage door caused Benji to spin around immediately. Victor walked out with his apron on, supported by the waist by Felix. He looked over at Benji and though he had clearly composed himself, Benji could see that Victor’s eyes were still red and puffy from crying. There was also a noticeable wet stain on the left of Felix’s black vest whenever the light hit it.

Felix spoke first. “I’m uh...gonna hang out until closing and then we’ll walk back.” he said, squeezing his friend’s waist.

Victor nodded. “Thanks Felix.” he croaked.

Felix nodded and slowly released his friend. He moved to the front of the counter, trying to give Benji a chance to talk with Victor.

“Hey…” Benji said. He smiled sadly.

“I’m so sorry Benji.” Victor said, his voice still barely above a whisper. “I should have said something to you.”

Benji paused. He wasn’t sure what to say. Technically, Victor was right. He _should_ have told him right away. But that wasn’t what Victor needed to hear right now. So instead, he just said.

“I made you another latte. Can you guess who it is this time?” He handed Victor a cup and the other boy took it carefully, peering inside.

“It’s not Steve Harvey again?” Victor asked with a smile.

Benji pretended to be hurt. “C'mon! You really don't see it this time? I really think I captured your best side.” he said, again smiling.

“Seriously B, when did I get a giant mustache?” Victor said, laughing. 

Benji felt his heart soar. It was good to hear Victor laugh. He hated when Victor was low. 

“That’s not a mustache, that’s a mouth.” Benji protested, still smiling.

“B- I think you need to let this one go.” Victor said gently.

Benji feigned hurt. “But it’s my art!” he whined.

“And _you_ are a brilliant artist.” Victor said, taking Benji’s hand and squeezing it. Benji noticed that Victor was not even looking around the coffee shop. But Benji had already done a quick glance and realized it was only Felix now. The last guests had left two minutes ago.

Benji squeezed his hand back. 

Victor smiled and said. “But there is no such thing as latte art.” and he laughed.

“I’ll prove to you there is!” Benji said, grinning wide. He stared at Victor for a few minutes and both boys were smiling.

A small beep on his watch interrupted his thoughts. It was closing time.

But Benji ignored it, he pulled Victor in and kissed him. And instantly, Victor felt safe.

****

Felix sat at the back table that Benji had already cleaned while the two started cleaning up. Benji turned to Victor.

“How about you put on some tunes for us?” he asked. Victor grinned.

“I have just the thing.” he promised. He pulled out his phone and opened up his Spotify app.

Mentally, Benji prepared himself for more _Baby Shark_.

He heard the soft beep as Victor’s phone connected with the speaker and then the music started to play. Benji started laughing as he wiped down the tables.

_ Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen _

_ Pour myself a cup of ambition _

_ Yawn and stretch and try to come to life _

_ Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin' _

_ Out on the street the traffic starts jumpin' _

_ With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5 _

Victor looked at Benji and grinned as Dolly Parton blasted over the speakers. Of course Victor had remembered when Benji had talked about going to Dollywood with his father. And he had to admit the song was perfect for closing up.

_ Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' _

_ Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' _

_ They just use your mind and they never give you credit _

_ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it _

As Benji moved to clean off the chairs he found himself dancing along with the rhythm, making sure to put a bit more ‘booty shake’ into it to get Victor’s attention.

It worked. Victor laughed and began to join in as he cleaned the opposite tables. Soon they were meeting in the middle of the room and just dancing and shaking their booty as Felix watched with a smile on his face from the far booth.

_ 9 to 5, for service and devotion _

_ You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion _

_ Want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let me _

_ I swear sometimes that man is out to get me! _

Benji went to the service station and began putting things away while Victor counted out the cash register and started logging the day’s deposits. As Benji carried the supplies back to the counter, he leaned over and kissed Victor on the cheek. Victor smiled but continued to count as he danced to Dolly behind the counter.

_ They let you dream just to watch 'em shatter _

_ You're just a step on the boss-man's ladder _

_ But you got dreams he'll never take away _

_ You're in the same boat with a lotta your friends _

_ Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in _

_ An' the tide's gonna turn and it's all gonna roll your way _

Benji found himself humming along as he carefully put the supplies away and then turned back to walk back into the front where Victor was now fully back into booty shaking as he finished tallying up the sales and dropped them into his money bag.

_ Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' _

_ Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' _

_ They just use your mind and you never get the credit _

_ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it _

_ 9 to 5, yeah they got you where they want you _

_ There's a better life, and you dream about it, don't you? _

_ It's a rich man's game no matter what they call it _

_ And you spend your life puttin' money in his wallet _

Benji looked at Victor then and knew that today would only be the first of the many tests he would face. He hoped that next time it would be him who Victor turned to, but he knew also that could not always be the case. He spotted Felix sitting in the booth tapping his foot and singing along and Benji smiled. Felix was a good friend he realized. But not just to Victor. He was Benji’s friend too now.

_ 9 to 5, whoa what a way to make a livin' _

_ Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin' _

_ They just use your mind and they never give you credit _

_ It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it _

Victor dropped the money in the safe and finished making sure all the machines were running their cleaning cycles for the night. Benji made sure the doors were locked and prepared to flip off the light switches.

Victor met him in the middle of the room and motioned for Benji to join him for some final booty shaking before they called it quits for the night.

_ 9 to 5, yeah they got you where they want you _

_ There's a better life, and you dream about it, don't you? _

_ It's a rich man's game no matter what they call it _

_ And you spend your life puttin' money in his wallet _

_ 9 to 5, working 9 to 5 _

The two boys laughed as the song ended and Felix applauded. Then they turned off the music and Benji flipped the light switch. He opened the door and motioned for Felix and Victor to go ahead of him. Then he pulled the door closed and locked it behind him.

****

Victor had tried and ultimately failed in his quest to send Benji home and walk back with just Felix. Benji understood that Victor didn’t want to talk about what had happened. And that was fine. But he _was_ going to walk Victor home. There would be no debate about that. And very quickly, Victor realized that Benji and Felix had conspired behind his back on this. And so they walked into the apartment together just after 10pm.

Victor paused as he looked at his family apartment. He had already moved his items to his father’s apartment and had planned to spend his first night there. His mother, Pilar, and Adrian already knew this. But now, it was real. He was going to sleep in a different room starting tonight.

And yet, Victor found himself slightly excited about that. This new apartment represented new chances and new beginnings. And it felt like a physical manifestation of the new journey that Victor had started to take.

Victor took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he walked up the steps with Felix and Benji behind him. 

Felix paused as they stopped at Victor’s door and he looked over at his friend. “Alright man, get some sleep okay?” He stepped forward and drew Victor into one last hug, giving him a firm pat on the back which Victor returned.

“Thank you Felix. You’re the best.”

Felix smiled and stepped aside to give Benji his turn.

“Get some sleep Vic. I’ll be over tomorrow to walk with you and Felix.” he said.

“You don’t have to do that B-” 

“I  _ want _ to. Please.” Benji pleaded.

Victor’s shoulders sagged and he nodded.

Benji smiled. “Okay. I gotta get home. But I’ll see you both bright and early.” he promised.

He moved in and kissed Victor. Victor felt himself relax immediately, once again feeling safe when he was with Benji. They stayed like that for nearly a minute according to Felix, who was looking at his watch. Finally, Benji reluctantly pulled apart and smiled at Victor.

Victor took out the key his father had given him and opened the apartment. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door. He paused and looked back at his boyfriend and his best friend.

“Good night guys. Thank you.” he said. 

Benji and Felix both nodded as Victor walked inside and slowly closed the door behind him. Soon after they heard the lock click and slide into place.

Benji turned and blew out a breath. He looked over at Felix. The other boy met Benji’s eyes and he knew they needed to talk.

“Lake found them?” Benji asked.

“Oh yeah...” Felix replied. Benji could tell he was a bit frightened by what he had learned.

“And?”

“According to Lake, they had a ‘productive’ conversation.” Felix used air quotes and shrugged. He was both proud and terrified of whatever his girlfriend had done.

Benji raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Felix nodded. “Lake informed me that they will no longer be patrons at Brasstown and have agreed to seek their coffee needs at another venue.”

Benji blew out a breath. Well that was something. “Okay then.” he replied.

“And apparently, they might also be changing classes. Lake informed them that someone had started a vicious rumor about-” Felix blinked. He couldn’t remember exactly what Lake had threatened them with, but he knew it was effective. “Anyway, they probably won’t be seeing Victor for the rest of the school year.” Or, Felix thought, when Lake got through with them, Victor might not see them for the rest of their academic career.

“Thank her for me Felix.” Benji said. He appreciated knowing that their friends had their back.

“I already did. She said it was her pleasure. Also, she wants us to set up a double date. And soon.” Felix said, and Benji noticed a little fear in the other boy’s eyes.

He chuckled and walked over to Felix, patting him on the shoulder. “I definitely owe you both dinner.” he said.

Felix smirked. “Victor did say you were an excellent cook.”

Benji grinned. “I try. Good Night Felix.”

Felix inclined his head towards Benji. “Good Night Benji. See you tomorrow.”

Benji nodded. He proceeded down the stairs and headed home.

****

Victor tried to avoid looking at his phone for the rest of the night, focusing instead on the homework he had. However when his phone rang at 11:45pm, Victor knew he couldn’t avoid the caller.

“Hello?” He said in a tired voice.

“Victor? I’m sorry for calling so late. But you haven’t responded to my DMs. I saw the post and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Simon’s voice was full of concern. 

“I’m sorry Simon. My phone has been blowing up all day. I just didn’t see it.” Victor replied. And that was partially true. He didn’t see it because he wasn’t looking.

He heard Simon sigh on the phone. “I get it Vic. I cut myself off from my phone and all social media when everyone found out.”

“I just can’t look at them right now.” Victor admitted.

“I know and I get it. But I’m just worried.” Simon replied. "Are you okay? Really?"

Victor sighed. He didn’t want to worry Simon. Or Benji or Felix or anyone really. But…

“Someone said something to me at work.” Victor blurted out.

He could hear Simon shifting to straighten up. “What happened?”

“I was refilling the coffee station. Napkins, stirrers,milk and cream. You know…” he trailed off.

He hadn’t told Felix this. He hadn’t even told Benji. He took a deep breath.

“Two girls from school saw me. I don’t even know their names. And they-” Victor started to choke up. He couldn’t repeat it. He just couldn’t bear to say it out loud.

Simon seemed to sense that. “Victor, hey.” Simon said, “It’s okay. I get what happened next. We don’t need to repeat what was said.”

“I just didn’t expect it Simon. It was so subtle.”

Simon sighed. “It usually is. Not that it helps much more when the big idiots walk up and yell at you, but at least they are easier to spot.”

“I was so embarrassed. I just couldn’t tell Benji. But he saw how I reacted. He called Felix and I just-” He felt tears streaming down his face again.

“Victor, listen to me.” Simon said in a gentle tone, “You’re gonna be okay. Now is the time to lean on Benji and Felix and the rest of us.”

Victor nodded and then realized Simon couldn’t see him. “Uh huh.” he said through tears.

Simon sighed again. “It’s getting late Victor and I know it is not going to be easy, but I need you to try and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be different for you. But your friends and Nora will be there with you. Lean on them. Okay?”

Victor felt the tears still flowing but he managed another “Uh huh.”

“Okay. Here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re going to plug your phone in and set your alarm. I am going to remain on the line until you fall asleep. Okay?”

“You don’t have to do that-” Victor said.

“I want to.” Simon said. He paused. “ _ We _ want to.”

“We?”

“Hey Vic” Bram said gently over the phone, “You get some rest. We’ll be here if you need us.”

“We’re taking turns sweetie.” Kim added.

“We got you pre-frosh” Justin reassured.

“And we can’t wait to finally meet Benji!” Ivy added.

“Even though Nora got to meet him first! So jealous!” Bram said with a laugh.

Victor laughed and he felt his heart warm. They were all there. His family there to support him.

“Really guys, I’ll be okay.” Victor said, feeling guilty about ruining their night. “You don’t have to stay up with me.”

“Nonsense! We’re all hanging here tonight so don’t worry about us!” Kim replied. 

“Go to sleep girl” Justin added.

Victor yawned and he realized just how tired he was.

“Okay guys. You win.” Victor said as he set the phone on his bedside table.

“Good night Victor.” Simon said.

“Good night.” Victor replied, as he yawned again and let his head hit the pillow. 

He could vaguely hear the others talking to him, reassuring him that things would get better. They talked about their last club experience, they joked about Simon and Bram acting like an old married couple. Ivy and Justin seemed to get into some type of disagreement with Kim trying to mediate as Simon shushed them. They talked about how excited they were to meet Benji. They even talked about how they had read his post. But Victor could barely hear any of it as he let sleep claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully no one is too mad at me.
> 
> As to what was said to Victor, I purposely decided not to show it or have it repeated to leave it to your own imagination. You can assume however that it really hurt.
> 
> Thank You again for all the love you have shown this story.


	16. New Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a new day. And the first step in Victor's new journey.
> 
> And Victor isn't the only one starting a new journey. Armando and Isabel take their first steps in saving their marriage and forming a new, stronger bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments! For those of you who have told me not to worry about falling behind, I appreciate it. Of course, the minute I shared that Benji and Victor seemed to respond and started putting ideas in my head and another two chapters got written. So two more days are ready. We'll see if I can keep up.

Victor’s alarm snapped him out of his dreams. Once again, he and Benji were out over water and Benji, shirtless of course, was playing guitar and singing. Only this time, Victor swore that other people were booing him. He remembered wanting to escape. But Benji kept singing trying to soothe him. He couldn’t remember anything else except that he wanted out of the boat. He was afraid.

He rolled to turn off his alarm and saw that Simon had at some point finally ended their call. Victor looked at the duration and saw that they had stayed on with him almost the entire night.

Victor lay in bed for a moment and smiled. Simon and his roommates had shown him such immense kindness with one simple act. But he got the message. If he let people in, they would be there for him. Felix had abandoned whatever plans he had had to come get cried on and Benji had walked him all the way home only to turn back and walk twice the distance back to his own home. And he was coming back again to escort him to school today.

He looked at his messages and saw he had missed two from Benji.

_ 10:58pm Vic- I hope you get some sleep. I’m home now. See you tomorrow. _

_ 6:42am Good Morning  _ 😊 _ I’m leaving my house in ten and will be there by 7:30am. _

Victor looked at his clock and saw that it was 6:45 in the morning. He quickly got up and headed to his bathroom. It was nice, he reflected, to have that. He quickly showered and got changed. He didn’t feel like cooking breakfast and he realized at that moment that he didn’t know what exactly his father had for groceries. They would need to talk about that before tonight. For now, he would just ask Benji and Felix if they could stop off for breakfast.

He looked at his bag and realized he hadn’t gotten much homework done. Luckily, he didn’t have any major tests until the end of the week so he could catch up. Still, his mind wandered to the comments on his Creeksecrets post. 

He decided it was better to look at those after basketball practice. He grabbed his gym bag and his backpack and made his way out of the room.

“Morning flaco” His father called from the Dining Room. He was sitting with a cup of coffee at the table. 

“Morning.” Victor said. He set his bags down by the door and walked over to his father.

“Hey papi, do we need to do some grocery shopping?” 

“Already did mijo. There’s some cereal in the cabinet if you want and milk in the fridge.”

Victor shook his head. “Thanks, I think I’ll grab something on the way in today.”

Armando shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

His father took another sip of coffee and looked at his son. 

“How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good.” Victor admitted. He looked at his watch and saw that he still had some time to talk. “I uh did it.”

Armando nodded. “I know. Your principal called me yesterday and we had a long talk. Bit of a weird guy. He was worried about you. I told him that my son could handle whatever those  _ gamberros _ throw at him.” He looked at his son and smiled.

Victor smiled back. It seemed his father had more confidence than he did in himself and he felt his smile falter as he remembered what had happened. And that flicker was all it took for his father to pounce.

“What is it Victor?” He said, setting his coffee mug down on the table, his full attention on his son.

“It’s nothing pap. Some girls from school said some things to me at Brasstown yesterday.”

Armando’s face darkened. “What did they say?”

“I really don’t want to repeat it papi. But it was bad. And it hurt.”

Armando was up from his chair and on his son in less than one bound and Victor felt himself once again held safe in his father’s embrace. But he didn’t cry this time. He just squeezed his father back.

“It’s just something that I have to get used to papi. Just like everything else.” Victor admitted.

By  _ everything else _ , his father knew that Victor was referring to the racist comments that he had been on the receiving end of plenty of times in Texas and more than a few times since they moved to Atlanta. 

As a parent, Armando had never felt so powerless as when his children had to endure hearing those words or seeing those looks of hate. And there was no denying that hate was a poison that spreads to one’s heart. For too long, Armando realized he had felt that poison in his own heart and had let it infect him. He hated that it might poison his son as well.

“Mijo, I’m so sorry. I wish I could protect you. But, we knew this would happen.” he sighed, hating having to say this to his boy. “All we can do is push forward and lean on each other. Did you tell Benji?” he asked. He released his hold on his son so he could see his face.

Victor shrugged. “No. But he saw it and figured it out. And he and Felix were there for me last night. Simon too.”

Armando sighed again. “Do you...want to stay home? I could take a sick day and we could stay in and watch some of your favorite movies or we could go out and buy a few more things for the apartment?”

A large part of Victor wanted nothing more than to play hookey and spend the day with his father. But he knew that would only mean postponing the inevitable. And the only way things would get better was if he confronted them head on.

Victor shook his head. “That’s okay papi. I’m good. Really. Benji and Felix are walking me to school.”

“Ok flaco. If you change your mind and need to come home, just call me. I’m supposed to meet your mother for our first therapy session this afternoon. And I may have to work late so I’ll leave you money for dinner and maybe you can take your siblings out or just order in.”

Victor shrugged. “We’ll see how it goes.” he said. He had no idea how he would feel after today. 

Armando nodded again, he rested his arm on his son’s shoulder and patted it twice. Mentally, he imagined himself transferring that anger and pain away from his son and into himself. He wished it were that easy.

There was a quick knock at the door and both Salazars knew that Felix had arrived.

Armando walked the few feet between the dining room and the front door and opened it wide.

“Good Morning Felix.” he said with a smile.

“Morning Mr. Salazar.” Felix said, returning the smile. “Is Victor ready?”

“I am. I’ll see you later tonight pap.” Victor said. He walked over and hugged his father before bending down to pick up his bags.

“Okay mijo. Good luck today. Your mother and I are here if you need us.” 

As Armando was about to close the door, he saw Benji coming up the steps and nodded at the boy.

“Good morning sir.” Benji greeted him.

“Good luck today Benji. Take good care of my son yeah?” Armando replied.

Benji gave a stiff nod. “Always sir.”

“Good man. Have a great day at school. All of you.”

Felix nodded and Victor smiled at his father. He gave him a final wave before following Benji and Felix down the stairs.

“Hey guys” he said, as they descended the stairs to the final landing, “do you mind if we stop off for breakfast?”

Felix grinned. “Of course not buddy.”

Benji nodded and grabbed Victor’s hand. He squeezed tight. “Whatever you want.” he smiled.

Victor smiled back, safe with his friends.

The three boys proceeded down the stairs and out of the apartment, ready to start their day.

****

The difference in the school’s atmosphere was palpable to Victor. With each step closer to Creekwood High, Victor felt his feet turning into concrete blocks. His legs wobbled as if they were made of jelly. He felt his forehead perspiring as sweat beaded up around his hairline. His stomach gurgled and he knew it wasn't from the breakfast because he had barely ate it. Maybe, he thought, he should have stayed home with his father.

Benji was there of course, holding tightly to his hand and not letting go. Victor saw people staring at them as they walked along. But whether they were upset or concerned by how Victor looked he could not tell. Benji seemed to just ignore them, his only focus was Victor.

Felix simply tried to distract him. He was spouting some obscure fact about cuttlefish from a documentary he had seen the night before and Victor was doing his best to listen but his mind just kept flashing back to Brasstown.

As they approached the school, Victor saw his fellow students looking at him, or in the case of some, trying not to look. He waved to a few and said “Good Morning.” some said it back. Others just nodded. A few seemed to pretend they never heard him.

As they walked towards the front entrance, Wendy approached them. Wendy had asked Felix to the Spring dance only for Felix to essentially dump her, with Wendy’s permission, and go on stage to join Lake. Felix still felt awkward around her. As she came closer, Victor noticed Felix falling back slightly. But it seemed that Victor was the object of her attention this morning as she went directly to him.

“Victor, I am so happy for you and Benji.” Wendy said. “You guys make an adorable couple.” She smiled and walked off.

“Thanks Wendy.” Victor and Benji replied in almost unison.

Several other girls came up to them and said similar things and Victor couldn’t help but smile as they talked with him and asked if he had any fashion or hair tips (of course he didn’t). Some gave him a quick hug or just a wink but they let Victor know that they accepted him.

The guys were a different story. Some congratulated him and said that they were inspired by his post. Some even tried to share a secret of their own with him. As they walked, Victor noticed that several nodded to him or smiled, but others seemed just as content to pretend he and Benji weren’t even there. And yes, Victor caught a few giving them dirty looks.

By the time they entered the main lobby of Creekwood, everyone was quickly moving toward their classes.

Mr. Worth stood at the center of the lobby, directing students where to go and jokingly threatening to confiscate their cell phones if they didn’t watch where they were going.

“Stop swiping right and learn to walk right!” He yelled to one group of students and seemed to laugh at his own joke.

Victor noticed that he was wearing a black suit today with a pale purple shirt, dark purple tie and his pride pin. He saw Ms. Albright also walking the halls trying to get people to class. She was wearing a deep purple blazer and skirt with purple shoes and a black blouse. In fact, as Victor looked out at the sea of teachers and administrators moving toward their classes, he could see that each of them had incorporated the color purple into their outfit for today. Victor knew that there was no way that was a coincidence.

As he, Felix, and Benji approached, Mr. Worth nodded to them and they approached. 

“How are you this morning?” he asked, his voice serious again.

“Okay sir. I have a meeting with Mr. Harris in an hour.”

“Anything else I should know?” Mr. Worth asked.

Victor hesitated. Benji and Felix however did not.

Felix spoke first. “Two girls from our class exchanged some words at Brasstown when Victor was working yesterday.”

Benji added. “They’ve since apologized.”

Victor blinked. He hadn’t heard that. But he simply nodded.

Mr. Worth’s eyes narrowed and he looked at Victor, wanting to hear it from him.

“And you accept their apology?”

Victor nodded. “I do sir.”

Mr. Worth’s eyebrows furrowed. He was clearly skeptical, but he nodded.

“Okay. You better get off to class then. My door is always open if you need to talk. Remember, Open Office. Open Ears.” Mr. Worth emphasized this with hand gestures around his ears.

“Thank you sir.” Victor said quickly. The three boys headed toward Victor’s locker. 

Victor turned to Benji as they walked. 

“When did they apologize?”

Benji smiled. “After they spoke to Lake. I believe you’ll find two letters in your locker.”

Victor blinked. He didn’t even know their names. What had Lake done and how had she found them?

“It’s probably better if you don’t ask.” Felix added, answering the unspoken question and Victor could tell his friend was a little afraid to know the answer himself.

Victor said a silent prayer of thanks that Lake was on his side and hoped he would never cross her.

As Victor opened his locker, he found two pieces of paper with his name on them. He showed the letters to Benji and raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable with Lake threatening people to apologize. Benji however smiled. He was just fine with it if it meant they left his boyfriend alone.

Victor placed the letters back in his locker and proceeded to his home room. As he walked, he saw several of his classmates flash him a smile or a thumbs up while others seemed to not notice he existed. Victor did his best to let it wash over him even though he could feel the tension everywhere he walked. He spotted Nora walking in the halls and waved. She waved back enthusiastically and smiled wide as she headed off to her own class.

When he had first come to Creekwood, Victor’s first day had felt a bit like this. People staring at him, some ignoring him. But now that Victor actually knew many of his classmates and they knew him, it was different. To Victor it was like going through his first day of school all over again.

Victor would have preferred to have done this once he quickly realized, but at the same time, he was now able to walk down the hall holding tightly to Benji’s hand, unafraid to be who he was. And that was worth every glare, whisper, and turned back he faced.

****

Mr. Harris also must have gotten the memo. He wore a lavender shirt with a deep purple vest, his grey pants looked like they even had a light shade of purple in them and his socks were also purple when he crossed his leg. 

“Mr. Worth told me about your encounter at Brasstown.” he said once Victor was settled.

“Yeah um..it hurt.” Victor said honestly.

“Do you want to tell me what they said?” Mr. Harris asked.

Victor shook his head. “I don’t want to give power to words like that by repeating them sir.”

Mr. Harris was silent for a few minutes as he looked at Victor. He just nodded, not wanting to push the subject any further.

“Do you regret making the post?” he finally asked.

Victor shook his head vigorously. “No sir. Absolutely not.”

“Do your friends?” 

“I...don’t know. I’ve only seen Benji and Felix and they seem okay. But I haven’t seen Mia yet.”

“What about your family?”

“I only saw my dad.” Victor admitted.

“And how is he holding up?”

“He offered to take a sick day to hang out at home with me so I didn’t have to go in.” 

“And yet, you came in.” Mr. Harris said proudly.

“Yes sir. I know the only way this gets better is if I face it. I won’t run from my problems.”

Mr. Harris smiled. 

“You really are a very wise young man Victor. Smarter than I was. I did try to run from my problems. And you’re right. It didn’t get better until I faced them.”

Victor looked up at Mr. Harris. He knew what the man was saying. It was the same thing Simon and everyone else had said. Things would get better with time. And Victor knew that intellectually. But right now, at this moment, things just sucked.

Mr. Harris could tell from his expression what Victor was thinking and he verbalized it.

“I know that it’s hard right now. Everyone is still reacting to the news. And to be honest, many of your classmates don’t know the right thing to say or do. So some may mean well and they actually hurt you by tripping over their words.”

He sat up a bit in his chair, “While others unfortunately, find this humorous and make jokes that are more hurtful than funny.”

Victor sighed. He’d received plenty of those. Especially when it came to sex jokes about him and Benji- something that had never happened when he was with Mia.

“But you are going to get through this Victor. And your classmates will move on. Probably quicker than you think.” Mr. Harris continued. “The one benefit of social media is that today’s story is yesterday’s news by lunch time.”

Somehow, Victor thought it might take a bit longer than lunch time for this to resolve, but he nodded. He knew what Mr. Harris was saying.

Mr. Harris looked at the clock. “Why don’t we talk a little about your parents and their separation. Alright?”

Victor nodded. He proceeded to talk in broad terms about the circumstances that had led him to being a student at Creekwood High School.

****

Armando pulled into the parking lot and sighed. He was a few minutes early. Isabel had not yet arrived. Briefly, he had considered suggesting that they share a car, but he knew that right now, that was not the best idea. He had to give Isabel more autonomy to make her own choices. Reflecting on his own behavior, he had come to realize how often he had inadvertently imposed his will on his family. And that included the move as well he now realized.

He saw Isabel pulling into the parking lot and knew she saw him as well. She pulled her car into the empty space next to his and parked. Sighing again, Armando opened the car door and got out to meet his now estranged wife.

“Hey” He greeted her as she closed her car door.

“Hi.” she replied. She smiled and he smiled back.

“Ready?” he asked.

She simply nodded. He turned to walk and she followed at his side.

As they approached the door, Armando instinctively held it open for her.

“Thanks.” she said, again smiling. But it was not her normal smile. It was sad. And Armando found himself sad as well.

They made their way into the office and saw that there was no receptionist. Instead, there was a small waiting room with a couch, a few chairs and a coffee table with old magazines.

Before either of them could sit down, the door in front of them opened and a man who had to be in his late forties or early fifties smiled at them.

The man was clean shaven and his brown hair was parted to one side. He wore a pair of glasses and a simple blue button down shirt with a pair of khaki pants. He wasn’t wearing a tie and his top button was unbuttoned. Armando wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Afterall, he was wearing a tie to this session.

“Mr. and Mrs. Salazar? How do you do? I’m Doctor Crane.”

Armando blinked. “Like the TV show?”

The other man rolled his eyes and smiled. “I get that a lot. Please come in.”

Armando gestured for Isabel to go first and she did. 

The office was pretty sparse. It wasn’t too large. A desk sat on Armando’s left along with two small chairs. To his right was the sitting area with the couch against the wall to his right. There was a love seat against the front wall, and two armchairs opposite the couch, their back to the window. Behind the chairs and against the window was a small coffee pot and tea kettle.

“Please, have a seat.” Dr. Crane said.

Armando and Isabel made their way to the couch and sat down.

“Would you like anything to drink?” he asked.

Armando and Isabel both shook their heads. They just wanted to get this over with.

The marriage counselor took a seat in the armchair and sat forward. Armando noticed he had no notepad and didn’t seem to have anything to record their session.

“So, Dr. Spier is an old friend of mine and she had nothing but good things to say about you two.” he started to say.

“Emily really helped us out.” Isabel admitted.

“Yes, she wouldn’t tell me exactly how you knew each other. I was hoping you could clear that up.”

“Our son told us he’s gay. He’s friends with Emily’s son.” Isabel replied, putting it as succinctly as possible.

“I see.” Dr. Crane shifted slightly in his chair to better face her. “How was that?”

Armando blinked. “How was what?”

“Learning that your son is gay.”

“It was a surprise. He had a girlfriend.” Isabel admitted. “But looking back, the signs were there.”

The other man was silent for a moment. “I gather that while this may be a factor, this is not the main reason you are seeking counseling?”

“No.” Isabel said, shaking her head. “I’m the reason we’re here.”

“No” Armando interjected. “We’re here because both of us have hurt each other recently and we want to fix it.”

He looked at Isabel and she smiled at him. He knew she felt guilty. He wasn’t going to pile on.

“I see.” Dr. Crane shifted in his chair. “Okay, why don’t we start at the beginning.”

****

The school day had flown by. Benji had been amazing. He had barely left Victor’s side all day. Felix and Lake had been checking in on Victor every other class. Nora had once again joined them for lunch and made sure Victor was okay before heading off to her own classes. She didn’t mention if Simon had told her about the call so Victor did not bring it up. Mia... was there. But Victor could tell that she was hurting. He knew that she had to be getting messages as well, but she was keeping that to herself. Andrew seemed more quiet than usual as well. Victor decided not to push either of them and respected their silence. Besides, to Victor it meant more that they showed up. Sometimes, that was enough.

After classes ended, Andrew and Victor entered the locker room to get ready for basketball practice. Victor could feel the tension as the other guys on the team saw him. Some seemed to finish getting changed into their uniform just a bit faster than usual. Victor noticed others had their eyes down or were turned to face their lockers. No one said anything, but Victor could feel how uncomfortable they were.

Not wanting to deal with it, Victor kept his own eyes down and quickly changed out of his street clothes and into his uniform. Then he exited the locker room and headed to the court.

Coach Ford was out on the court already and Victor couldn’t help but smile. The coach was wearing a purple polo today. As he saw Victor approach he gave him a slight nod. The others followed after and Victor waited for Coach to start practice.

He could see that there were a few stragglers including Andrew. Coach started clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! We have a lot to do if we’re gonna have a chance this week!” he said and then under his breath he added “I hope.”

Andrew and the other players hustled over to join Coach Ford.

“Alright guys. I know that last game wasn’t great for us-”

Victor winced. Part of why it wasn’t so great was because he had gotten himself ejected within the first period.

Coach Ford looked at him and everyone else. “-But this week will be different. Right? Please tell me it will. I  _ really _ want to win this year.” he pleaded.

“Yes coach!” they said in unison. Coach didn’t believe them of course, but he had resigned himself to losing year after year so at this point, a win would be a pleasant surprise.

“Alright. We’re doing free throws first. Line up. Andrew, you’re up first.”

****

Isabel finished explaining about Roger and the piano lessons while Dr. Crane continued to look them both in the eye, giving them his full attention. Still, Armando noticed he didn’t take a single note down.

“And then Victor came out to us.” Isabel said, explaining the sequence of events on Friday.

If Dr. Crane was phased by any of this, he did not show it. He remained cool and collected and Armando wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He turned to Armando and he felt himself catch his breath.

“Armando, you mentioned earlier that your reaction was to hug your son. Many fathers who come from a religious background as you have described typically do not react this way.” Dr. Crane sat forward, perching himself at the edge of his seat so he could better lock eyes with Armando. “Can you share a bit about what was going through your head?”

Armando sighed. “My son looked happy.” he replied. “The minute he told us, he transformed before my very eyes and it was like a weight had been removed from his shoulders that I never realized he had carried until that moment. And in that moment, I saw the terrible burden he had been under and I-” he paused to organize his thoughts. “I was just so happy for him. All a parent wants really is for their child to be happy. And I didn’t see until that moment just how unhappy my son was living the life he was living.”

Dr. Crane looked at him, very intrigued by the description. He motioned for Armando to continue. He did.

“I started to realize, very quickly, that the environment that my behavior had caused led to my son feeling this way. And it led to my children being unhappy and acting out. And, it led to my wife feeling like she needed to find comfort in the arms of another.”

The counselor shifted in his chair. “That’s… a major realization to have. Most clients do not have the self awareness of their situation that you seem to have.”

Armando looked at him, and the doctor could tell he wasn’t sure whether to be offended or not so he added “That is a very good thing Armando. It means we have a place to start. It’s clear to me that this marriage can be saved because the two of you do want to put the work in and both of you have accepted responsibility for the problems you are facing. Typically, one partner tries to blame the other and that is why a marriage can fail. But if you treat it as a partnership, then together, you may be able to build a stronger bond than you had before.”

Isabel relaxed at this. Being told that her marriage wasn’t hopeless made her feel infinitely better after spending almost an hour pouring out her sins.

Dr. Crane continued. “I know you indicated it earlier, but it sounds as though one area we need to address is family. Family is something very sacred to both of you but to your children as well. And you do come from a more traditional and religious background so having an openly gay son can present challenges- especially with traditional families with many relatives.”

Aramando sighed and Isabel joined him. “That is our concern doctor. My parents are very much from the past and there was an incident at my son’s sixteenth birthday party a few weeks ago.”

Dr. Crane nodded. “Okay, we still have some time. Please, tell me what happened.”

****

Practice had gone okay. Victor had noticed that a few of his teammates seemed reluctant to pass him the ball. But, he wondered if that was because of his behavior at the last game or because he had come out. To his credit, Andrew passed the ball to Victor the most and as he did so, it seemed like most of the guys were willing to do the same. Still, despite his skill, Victor missed more shots than he made and the team definitely noticed. And as he missed, he noticed the ball getting passed to him less and less.

Still, they continued running drills until Coach Ford seemed to admit defeat.

“Alright guys. That’s enough. Uh...hit the showers and head home.” Coach Ford said in a resigned tone, blowing his whistle

As Victor started to follow, he saw the coach coming up to him.

“Victor, can I have a word?”

Victor nodded. “Sure thing coach.”

He followed Ford into his office in the gymnasium. It was a small cramped area barely big enough to fit the desk, and two chairs that were in the room. A small window overlooked the gym.

Coach sat behind his desk and motioned for Victor to take a seat as well.

“Victor, I uh wanted to make sure that you’re okay to play this week.” Coach Ford said.

Victor nodded. “I am sir.”

“What happened out there today? It seemed like your head wasn’t in the game during practice. I’ve seen you make those shots a dozen times now.” 

“I know sir. I’ll be better at tomorrow’s practice.” Victor promised.

“I just can’t afford a repeat of what happened last game you know?” he warned.

“That will  _ never _ happen again sir. I let a family matter upset me.” Victor said. He didn’t want to get into the details of Roger or his mother’s affair.

Coach Ford paused, clearly unsure of whether to ask what he wanted to ask. So Victor decided to answer for him.

“And sir, it had nothing to do with me being gay.” he answered honestly.

Coach Ford sighed, clearly relieved he did not have to ask the question. He nodded.

“Okay Victor. If I see improvement tomorrow, you’ll start the game on Thursday.” He held up a finger in warning “But, if I see the same type of sloppy performance tomorrow, I will have no choice but to bench you. Do we have an agreement?”

Victor nodded. “Yes sir. I understand.”

The coach sighed. “Okay. Listen, I really like you Victor. You’re a good kid. I know you can do this. I just need you to dig down deep and focus. Can you do that?” 

“I get it coach. I can. Thank you.” 

“Alright then.” Coach said, rising from his chair “Hit the showers and head home. I’ll see you tomorrow for practice.”

Victor nodded. He rose and quickly left the office.

Victor felt like his head was spinning. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get better by tomorrow’s practice if he couldn’t focus. And how could he? So much was going on. And even his team seemed uncomfortable being around him.

As he entered the locker room, he saw that it was completely empty. The entire team must have quickly showered, changed, and left. Given how long it normally takes them, Victor knew that he was the cause. Dejected, Victor headed to his locker and grabbed his things. Then he quickly undressed, grabbed his towel and headed to the showers.

****

Andrew had hated Victor Salazar when he first came to Creekwood. Victor had embarrassed Andrew during gym class and been rewarded with a spot on the basketball team. And then, he had thrown a fit during their first game, costing them any chance at actually winning. But that wasn’t the main reason Andrew had hated Victor.

That reason, of course, was Mia. For as long as he could remember, Andrew had had a crush on Mia. And when she had called him that night and she had decided to have sex, that wasn’t just her first time. It was his as well. And though it was awkward, it was special too- at least it was to Andrew. And since that time, he had been trying to work up the courage to ask Mia out.

And then Victor had come along. And Mia had fallen for him immediately. He had tried to intervene of course. He had given Victor his green basketball jacket to hide his bright yellow shirt. And he did see that Mia had worn a yellow sweater. But he was drunk by then so of course he made a fool of himself and was too afraid to approach Mia during the party. And by then, it was already too late. Victor and Mia started dating and Andrew had once again missed his moment.

And then, Victor had failed to show up for Mia during her father’s party. And Andrew saw his chance. And he had tried to kiss her and was met with rejection. He had dated other girls of course. But none made him feel as awkward as he did around Mia. And he knew that was because of how he felt about her. And then Victor had run off for the weekend and Andrew and Mia and the others ended up in detention. And he saw it then. Mia did have an interest in him. But Victor was still in the way.

Andrew had resigned himself to the fact that he had missed his chance by the time of the dance. And so when he overheard Benji and Victor talking about their kiss, Andrew was naturally stunned. Victor had never struck him as gay- just nervous. But instantly it all made sense. And then Victor had begged him not to tell Mia. And against his better judgement, Andrew agreed to wait until Victor had spoken to her. And then Benji kissed Victor and Mia saw.

Suddenly, Andrew had his chance. And as he spoke to Mia, he realized something: Victor Salazar was not an enemy. Victor was a confused classmate. He was a teammate. And he cared for Mia in a different way. As Andrew went with Benji to confront Derek, he saw from Benji’s own eyes what Victor had meant to him. And as he accompanied Benji to Victor’s and learned about Victor’s post, Andrew found that he had actually grown to respect Victor for making such a brave choice. 

Andrew had meant what he had said to Mia and Benji. He was trying to be better. He wanted to be better. And so, as soon as Coach ended practice, Andrew hurried to shower and change and ran down the hallway to the classroom before him. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

There were about two dozen students inside. They turned as he entered. Andrew spotted Mr. Worth sitting in the corner and he smiled as Andew entered. At the front of the room, Nora Spier smiled at him.

“Hi Andrew” she greeted.

“Is this the uh alliance?” Andrew asked nervously.

Nora smiled. “This is the Creekwood LGBTQ and Allies Alliance.”

Andrew nodded. “Cool. Sorry I’m late. Just got out of practice.”

“No worries. We were just getting started. Go ahead and take a seat.”

Andrew nodded and looked at the empty desks. He spotted Felix and Lake wave him over and sat at the desk nearest them.

“As I was saying” Nora said, ‘Welcome to all of our new members. I am so thrilled that so many of you have decided to join us today.”

****

Brasstown was busy when Victor arrived. Benji was dealing with a large order so Victor quickly ran to the back and grabbed his apron. He started making drinks while Benji moved the line along.

After the rush had died down, Benji turned to him. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.” he said with a smile.

“No problem. Where’s Sarah?” he asked.

“She’s off today.” Benji said. It wasn’t uncommon for their boss to be off, especially when she had more than one team member on. Benji started wiping down the machines in preparation for the next guest and asked “How was practice?”

Victor sighed. “I was off my game.” He admitted.

Benji looked at Victor and shrugged. “Well, I think that is sort of expected Vic. You kind of have a lot on your plate.” 

Victor laughed. “You’re right. But the guys on the team were also avoiding me. I mean, Andrew and a few of them passed me the ball and all, but I could tell they aren’t comfortable around me.”

“Yet.” Benji said. “Just give them a little time to get used to it. Did they say anything?”

Victor shook his head. “No. Not a word.”

Benji frowned. He wondered if he should talk to Andrew or not.

Victor shrugged. “Hopefully they’ll get used to it. Mr. Harris did say that the next social media post may end up making us yesterday’s news real fast.”

Benji chuckled. “Well, it’ll have to be pretty big to top us. I hear we’re currently the hottest couple in the most recent polls.”

Victor raised his eyebrows. “Oh really?” he said in a sultry voice.

Benji took a look around the cafe to make sure no one was watching. Then he walked closer to Victor. “Really. I can show you the post.” He closed the distance and kissed Victor quickly.

Victor pulled away a bit quicker than normal and Benji knew instantly he’d made a mistake.

“B- You know I want to, but I don’t want to ruin what we have here. I love working with you.”

Benji nodded. “You’re right.” he said, looking down at the floor.

Victor squeezed his hand. “Hey, I promise, the minute the shift is over, you and me will make up for it.”

“Oh?” Benji asked.

“Papi is working late tonight. Pilar is ordering chinese for us. You can come over as long we get you out by ten. I could use some help studying.” Victor said.

“Sounds like a date. A study date.” Benji said with a wink.

Victor chuckled and hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So lots going on here. 
> 
> As always, your comments are greatly appreciated.


	17. Solve for X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benji has dinner with Victor and his siblings  
> Benji agrees to help Victor study for their Algebra test and finds new ways to motivate him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone for the amazing feedback. This story was supposed to be 20 chapters when I plotted it out. It seems I am not going to finish by 20 chapters and that is entirely my fault for my slow plotting. But I will also blame the boys for giving me several great ideas that have been worked in and expanded this story further than expected. This chapter is one such idea: Benji helping Victor study.

Dinner with Victor and his siblings was nice, Benji thought. Pilar seemed to be warming to Benji and Adrian seemed to still be grateful to him for his rescue after the sundae explosion. If either of Victor’s siblings disapproved of Benji, they didn’t show it outwardly.

Pilar looked at her dumplings and poked at them with her chopsticks. She wasn’t very good with them and sighed as they kept falling onto her plate. Adrian meanwhile had just ended up with a fork and was enjoying some sweet and sour chicken along with some white rice.

Victor was enjoying his own dumplings and seemed to be in a fairly subdued mood. Pilar noticed that he was neither upset nor excited. Maybe he was just tired from the long day, Pilar thought.

“How was it?” Pilar finally asked since her brother didn’t seem up to sharing.

Victor shrugged. He smiled at her. Tired. “Fine. Nothing I didn’t expect.” he popped a dumpling in his mouth and chewed.

When he swallowed he asked, “What about you? How are they treating you?”

And just like that, Pilar immediately saw her concerned older brother return, putting her needs right before his own. He was sitting straighter and his eyes were laser focused on her face.

Pilar wondered what she should tell him. The truth? That people, not realizing she could overhear, had said things about her brother that had nearly driven her to beating them up or crying. The half truth that most people didn’t seem to acknowledge her one way or the other and this did nothing to change that? Or just an all out lie that people had gone up to her and congratulated her - which no one had done.

And what about Mia? Should she tell him that Mia was in tears whenever Victor wasn’t looking and that she had begged Pilar not to tell her brother about the messages she had received?

Should she mention that Mr. Worth had also asked for Pilar to see a counselor every week for the foreseeable future and she already hated the woman because she kept going back to her mother’s affair?

Or, should she mention that her mother cried herself to sleep last night while their younger brother worried about his older brother and father going away so he had spent the night sleeping in Pilar’s bed? 

She already knew the answer of course. She would say _none_ of these things. And she would do that because her brother wasn’t responsible for any of it, but if she told him, he sure as hell _would_ take on each of those problems and make them his own. And he’d be crushed underneath the pure weight of it all. Because that was her brother. The fixer.

So instead, she looked at Victor and shrugged. “No one really said anything.” she half-lied. “I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Benji looked at her suspiciously, but he said nothing. She wondered if he knew something she didn’t. Victor just nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer.

Pilar decided to change the subject.

“And how about you Adrian? How was school for you?”

Adrian looked up from his chicken and shrugged. “Boring.” he admitted.

Victor and Benji laughed and Pilar smiled. Leave it to her youngest brother to the most honest person in this family. She hoped that trait would never go away.

****

Victor had opted to put Adrian to bed and read him a story. Benji had stayed behind to help Pilar clean up dinner.

As he threw out the containers and wiped down the table, he turned to Pilar and got serious quick. “Seriously, how are you holding up at school?” he asked, looking very concerned.

Pilar looked at him and shrugged. “I’m fine.” she lied.

Benji looked up to the ceiling and sighed. “You and your brother are terrible liars.”

He waited for her to acknowledge him and when she didn’t, he continued. “I know something happened. So, come on. Out with it.”

Pilar stared at him, trying to get him to back down. But Benji was dug in now. He met her stare with his own intense stare filled with concern and Pilar felt her own willpower dissolve under his scrutiny. She blinked.

Pilar let out a long sigh, knowing she had been beaten. “Okay fine. People said some things about the two of you. Sexual things. _Gross_ things.”

Benji frowned. “To you?”

Pilar shook her head. “No of course not. Most of them already pretend I don’t exist. They had no idea I was listening.”

Benji sighed. He knew from Victor that Pilar had had trouble making friends, but no one should go through this type of thing alone. And especially with what Benji knew about the Salazar’s current family situation, Pilar needed someone to lean on.

“We’re going to hug now.” he decided. He looked at her to let him know he was serious.

“Oh no we are not.” Pilar replied, backing away from him until she was against the kitchen sink.

But Benji wasn’t backing down today. He moved around the counter and stood in front of her with his arms wide open.

“Yes we are.” he said. He kept his arms wide open and waited.

Pilar knew she was defeated. And honestly? It felt good to surrender. She moved forward and felt Benji encircle her. She could feel the heat of his body and the steady beat of his heart through his tight white t-shirt. He held her tight, but not so tight she couldn’t breath. And he just stayed that way. Pilar didn’t cry. She had no tears left after having spent much of the day crying. Instead, she just let herself relax in Benji’s embrace.

Slowly, Benji relaxed his arms and let her step back. Then he looked at her and made sure she was looking him in the eye.

“I get that you don’t want to put all of this on Victor right now. But you  _ have _ to talk to someone. So if you need me, you know how to reach me.”

Pilar sighed. She had no interest in putting more burdens on Benji’s broad shoulders. She could already tell he was balancing his own problems. But she nodded.

“Mr. Worth has me seeing a counselor. So I am talking to someone.” she admitted.

Benji smiled. “That’s good Pilar. Is it helping?”

Pilar shrugged and made a scrunch face not unlike her brother. “Not yet at least. She keeps wanting to talk about Roger and mom. And I really don’t want to go there right now.”

Benji’s smile faded. “I get that. But there’s clearly a reason she’s asking you. So just take your time and go at your own pace. Only share what you feel comfortable sharing at first if that is what it takes. But please, don’t close down completely.” he pleaded.

Pilar nodded. She knew she did need to speak to someone. And in truth, getting some of this off her chest earlier to the counselor had made her feel a bit lighter. She still hated talking to the woman though. “Okay.” she promised.

This time, she turned to Benji. “We’re gonna hug again.” she decided.

Benji smiled. “Okay.” He opened his arms wide and she stepped in.

****

Isabel had arrived home just after 8:30pm and Victor could tell she was exhausted. He and Benji quickly excused themselves and went up to his room. His father was still out working late so the two grabbed a quick snack from the kitchen and headed to Victor’s room to study.

They managed to make it a whole 15 minutes before they were lying on the bed shirtless and making out. Victor was rather impressed with his willpower. In all honesty, they might have made it further if he hadn’t tricked Benji into losing his shirt first.

“If I can solve this problem, you have to take off your shirt.” Victor had said.

Benji had rolled his eyes, but he looked at the algebraic equation and thought that Victor might mess up due to the complex steps involved, so he had agreed.

Of course now Benji knew that his state of undress was apparently a very good study motivator.

And he was rather proud of himself as he took Victor in his arms and proceeded to kiss him along his jawline, down his neck to his collarbone, enjoying the relative warmth and smoothness of his skin.

The two lay there on the bed in their jeans and socks, entangled in one another’s arms as Victor made good on his earlier promise.

“Mmmff! Vic-” Benji said, pulling away to get some air.

Victor rolled over on his back and smiled. “Sorry B. I just got caught up.”

Benji laughed, rolling to his side and propping himself up with one arm. “It’s fine. I just need a break. Maybe we should actually get back to, y’know, studying?”

Victor pouted. And then he got a gleam in his eye and Benji knew he was in trouble.

“What about if I solve the next equation, you take off your jeans?” he asked, sitting up on the bed.

Benji snorted. Wasn't it enough that he seemed perpetually barred from wearing a shirt in Victor’s room? Now he couldn’t wear pants?

“I’m not falling for that trick again.” Benji teased.

Victor pouted again, and his lip quivered.

Benji sat up and looked at his watch. He saw that it was just past 9pm. They still had time before he had to leave. Benji glanced at the entrance and confirmed that yes, the door to Victor’s room was locked. Benji had a gleam in his eye now and Victor recoiled slightly, knowing that he wasn’t going to like what came next.

“How about this? If you can solve the next ten equations, I’ll take off my pants.”

Victor groaned. “TEN?” he said. He hated math, but he _**really**_ wanted to keep undressing Benji.

“Ten.” Benji said.

“What about five?” Victor negotiated.

Benji considered the offer and offered his counter.

“If you get five I’ll take off my socks.” Benji said, adding. “I’m very ticklish.”

Victor considered it for a second and then nodded. “Prepare to squeal.” he promised.

Benji snorted. “You need to solve those equations first buddy.”

Victor rolled his eyes and opened his text book. He grabbed his notebook and started working on the problems before him.

Benji watched him as he worked, ensuring he wasn’t trying to cheat.

****

Mia’s father was still tense when he arrived home from work. Mia and Lake sat in the living room finishing up their homework when he entered. As he saw the girls he smiled. Lake looked up from her laptop and waved.

“Hi Mr. Brooks” Lake greeted.

“Hey Lake.” Mia’s father greeted in a tired voice. “Mia, where’s Veronica?”

“She went to lay down. She wasn’t feeling well. Pregnancy related I think.”

Her father nodded absentmindedly.

Lake's phone beep and she looked down at the message. She quickly stood up. “Okay. Looks like my ride's here.” 

Mia stood up as well. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You bet.” Lake said with a smile. She hugged her friend quickly. Then she picked up her bag as Mia turned to walk her out.

"Have a good night." Lake said to Mia's father.

"Get home safe." He said, waving.

After closing the door, Mia’s father entered the hallway and turned to look at her. Mia did not like what she saw.

“I saw what  _ he _ posted.” His tone was ice cold and Mia felt herself freeze. Her father had  _ never _ had such a tone in his voice before.

Mia nodded. “Um, yeah, he told the school.” she said, trying to brush it off.

“He named you. He specifically talked about cheating on you.” her father said, his anger rising.

Technically, Victor didn’t mention cheating, but Mia was not going to correct her father at that moment. She was unsure how he would react but she was sure it wouldn’t be good.

“And how did the school react?” he asked.

Mia shrugged. “I didn’t hear too much outside of a few rumors and gossip.” And texts. But she was not telling her father that.

Her father was rubbing his chin and looking around the hallway, clearly agitated.

“I’m sorry I was ever nice to him. And now he’s off screwing some other boy-”

“Dad! It’s not like that. He-”

Mia’s father cut her off with a look. He didn’t want to hear her defense.

“YOU don’t need to defend him.  _ He’s _ responsible for his own actions. And that includes hurting you.” He kept his tone steady and even, but the look in his eyes made it seem to Mia like he had just shouted loud enough to shake the house.

Mia was silent. Her father wasn’t wrong technically. But the rage he felt was unlike anything she had seen from him before and she didn’t like it at all.

“It’s getting late dad. I’m going to head up to bed.” she said. She wanted to end the conversation before it got any worse.

Immediately, her father’s tone softened and he shifted to the man she knew and loved. Maybe he had realized he was upsetting her?

“Alright sweetheart. You get some rest. I’m uh...going to go upstairs and check on Veronica.”

“Okay dad. Love you. Good night.” Mia headed up the stairs and paused to hear his response.

“Good Night baby girl.” he said.

Mia hurried up the steps to her bedroom, locked her door and ran to her bathroom where she proceeded to weep as quietly as possible.

****

In the end, Benji lost his socks but, much to Victor’s disappointment, his pants stayed on.

“Better luck next time.” Benji teased.

“I got seven correct. Technically seven and a half!”

“And that is not the same as ten. I know you are bad at math, but you aren’t  _ that _ bad. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be working the cash register.” Benji retorted.

Victor pouted again, trying to see if he could guilt his boyfriend out of his tight jeans. But Benji now knew that his  _ assets _ were a powerful study tool, and he wanted his boyfriend to ace his math exam on Friday, so he remained unrelenting. Plus, he could admit that he took a certain amount of pleasure from torturing Victor like this.

“Maybe you’ll have better luck tomorrow.” he said with a grin as he dug the knife a little deeper.

Victor glared at him and then remembered what Benji had said earlier.

“There’s still the matter of my other prize.” he said, grinning evilly.

“Oh, wait. I’m not-!” the rest of Benji’s protests were drowned out by furious laughter as Victor pounced on his boyfriend’s bare soles, tickling him mercilessly as he squirmed all over the bed, tears running down Benji’s face.

****

At 10pm, Benji was dressed again, much to Victor’s dismay, and packing up his bags. Victor walked him to the door and gave him a long kiss goodnight.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Benji promised.

“Text me when you get home?” Victor asked.

“Promise.” Benji said before kissing him again.

Victor sighed and let go as Benji started to walk away and slowly descend the stairs. Victor watched him go and then turned to head back into the apartment.

He proceeded to finish up his homework and then went into the living room to watch TV and wait for his father.

He didn’t have too long to wait. At 10:33, Victor heard the door open and he turned around to see his father walk in.

Despite the long hours, his father looked pretty alert.

“Hey flaco.” He greeted, “How was school?”

Victor shrugged. “I got through it.” he admitted. “It wasn’t anything I didn’t expect.”

Armando smiled. He had worried all day about how his son would react and he was relieved to see that Victor seemed to be in a good mood.

“What did you end up doing for dinner?” he asked as he walked into the living area and plopped down on the couch next to his son.

“Pilar ordered Chinese.” Victor responded.

“Good. Good. I had a burger out. I’m beat so I’m probably gonna head to bed okay?”

Victor nodded. “I’m probably going to head to bed as well papi.”

Armando nodded. “Alright then.”

Victor paused and asked “Papi? How did it go?”

Armando looked at his son and smiled sadly. “It was painful Victor. But the therapist thinks your mother and I can come out of this together. It’s just going to take some work from both of us. We made some good progress today. And we each have some homework to do.”

Victor snorted. The idea of his parents doing homework amused him. His father smiled as well.

“Anyway, I’m gonna call it a night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay papi. I’ll lock up and head to bed.”

“Sleep well mijo” His father said before disappearing into his bedroom.

Victor turned off the TV, put away the dishes he had used earlier and made sure the front door was locked. Then he turned and headed back into his room.

He looked at his DMs and smiled.

_ Victor- _

_ Just want to make sure you are okay. Call me if you need to talk. _

_ Love,  _

_ Simon _

Victor quickly typed out a quick DM. He didn’t want Simon or his roommates losing another night of sleep because of him.

_ Simon- _

_ School was about what I expected. It’s gonna take some time. But leaning on my friends and I am getting through it. Thank you all for what you did last night. I can’t even begin to repay you for all your kindness. Doing okay. Talk soon. _

_ -Victor. _

Victor reviewed the message and pressed send. Then he got ready for bed and let himself dream. He hoped of course that it would be like his other recent dreams: of Benji in some state of undress and singing to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Benji is incredibly ticklish. The More You Know...
> 
> Also, Big Brother Benji to Pilar. He's becoming a human lie detector when it comes to the Salazar siblings...
> 
> Thank you again for the feedback. It is so very much appreciated that I can't really convey it in words.


	18. Fine. Not.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone is having a great day at school.  
> Luckily, they have friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback. Some great ideas are now floating around my head. As it stands, I have enough chapters to get through this week and at least Saturday. Hopefully, I will find some time to write over this weekend to try and maintain these nightly updates. It's not content that I am lacking, it's just time to make sure the chapter is right so thank you for all your kind words and patience as I try to make sure I am always doing justice to these wonderful characters.

School was better for Victor on Wednesday morning. While no major gossip had totally distracted from what had happened, it seemed that more and more, his fellow students were just moving on. The initial shock had simply worn off. As he walked through the halls with Benji, a few heads turned and he still received a few dirty looks, but aside from that, no one said a word.

And when he kissed Benji at his locker, aside from a few “Awws” from some of the girls, no one said anything.

Maybe Victor had been right all along. Maybe he should have just come out from the start and ripped off the band aid like he had wanted to when he first moved. He didn’t care either way. What’s done was done and finally he could be himself. It did no good to look backward.

But if he was in a good mood, that only made Mia’s bad mood worse. The initial onslaught of text messages had stopped. And intellectually, she knew she was okay as she understood what had happened and how pointless those text messages were. And Veronica had helped her with that, even taking her to get her nails done yesterday after school. And true to her word, she had not said anything to her father. But Mia had met with her counselor earlier that morning and when the conversation had turned to how Mia’s mother had abandoned her, that was too much hurt for Mia to take. She ended the session and walked out of the office close to tears.

So when she bumped into Benji and Victor, the two boys immediately apologized and Victor asked the question everyone lies about.

“Hey Mia. How are you doing?”

And Mia did what anyone answering that question always does. She lied.

“Fine.” she replied. And she hurried away to her next class.

Victor looked at her and Benji saw his scrunch face. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. But Mia’s obviously still upset.” Victor sighed. It wasn’t his place anymore to be there for her. He had to respect her desire for space. But as a friend, it was hard to watch his favorite person going through struggles and not help.

Fortunately, Mia had other friends that Victor could seek out. Victor and Benji found Lake making out with Felix against her locker. Since the class bell had not yet rung, no one had said anything. And one glance at Ms. Albright showed that the Vice Principal was both distressed and impressed that Felix was dating Lake. To her, it was like watching something on Animal Planet or perhaps a wreck one couldn’t look away from. As she saw Victor and Benji approach, she continued on down the hall to complete her rounds. But Victor could see that her head kept turning back to make sure the group would get to class before the bell rang- and because she still couldn't believe Felix was dating Lake.

He waited until Lake and Felix had finished, and wondered if that was how he and Benji looked to others.

“Hey Lake” Victor said.

“Hi Victor. Benji. Is everything alright?” Lake asked in a concerned tone, and Victor saw her going for her weapon of choice- her phone.

Hi nodded, quickly trying to calm her down. “I’m okay. But I think you should talk to Mia. She seemed upset when we bumped into her in the hall a few minutes ago.”

Lake understood and placed her phone back in its sheath-her pocket. Victor could tell she was already concerned. Clearly she knew something he did not. “I’ll talk to her Victor.” she paused. “I know this space thing is hard for you, but I know Mia appreciates that you are giving her the time she needs.”

Victor sighed. He knew Lake was right, but he still hated it. He felt Benji squeeze his hand and he looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. 

“We should get to class.” Felix said. As he said it, the bell rang and the four students quickly hurried to their classroom to avoid the risk of their Vice Principal’s wrath.

****

School sucked. That was all Pilar thought as she walked through the halls between classes. She continued to hear students whispering things about Victor and Benji. And she heard comments about Mia. As far she could tell, no one had even put together that she was Victor’s sister. Pilar couldn’t decide if that made it better or worse.

She was on her way to her next class when a young girl called out her name.

“Pilar?” 

Pilar froze. Barely anyone knew who she was. What did she want and who was she?

Slowly, Pilar turned around to face the speaker who was coming quickly towards her.

“Hi Pilar. I’m Nora. Nora Spier.” Nora said, extending her hand.

Pilar hesitantly took it and shook. Spier? The name rang a bell. Where had she heard that before?

Nora could tell that Pilar could not figure out who she was.

“I’m Simon’s sister. I’ve spoken with your brother.” Nora supplied. 

“Oh!” Pilar said as she made the connection. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Nora said with a smile. “How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Pilar lied.

Nora frowned. “ _ Really _ . How are you doing?”

Pilar sighed. It was like dealing with Benji all over again.

“I’m fine.” Pilar lied again. “Really.”

Nora bit her lip, clearly trying to figure out what to say next. When Pilar would say nothing else, she said. “Are you free for lunch today? We can sit down and chat.”

Pilar blinked. Who was this girl? She wasn’t in her classes and while Pilar had made some acquaintances, there were none she really considered ‘friends’ outside of maybe Mia. So  _ yeah _ , she was free. But did she really want to talk to Nora?

Nora could tell this was not having the desired effect. “Listen, there’s no pressure. But I’ve been where you are. It’s not the same of course, but I’ve been the little sister who’s big brother came out to the school. And I’m a good listener. Really.”

Pilar hesitated. It would be nice to talk to someone, but she really didn’t know Nora. Then again, she really didn’t know many people at the school at all yet.

“Um...sure. Why not?” Pilar said, giving in.

Nora brightened. “Okay. Great. I’ll see you at lunch.” she said before disappearing down the hall to her classes.

Pilar resumed walking to class. Maybe school didn’t suck as much now.

****

The great thing about being out at school was that Victor could make out with his boyfriend as often as all his other classmates. And Victor  _ really _ liked making out with Benji. The downside, of course, was that his classmates really liked to watch. On more than one occasion that morning, Benji had spotted phones taking photos and video as they made out.

It was a good thing Victor was already internet famous else he might have been embarrassed. Benji teased him about being someone who liked to do things in public and Victor had shrugged. After being forced to hide for so long, he wasn’t sure he disagreed. If straight couples could display their love in his face every day, why couldn’t he return the favor?

And that was how Victor and Benji ended up not joining the others at lunch. Instead, they found a quiet place outside and spent most of the time making out. It was only Victor’s growling stomach that finally got them to pause and eat the lunches they had purchased. And of course, because they had waited so long, lunch was cold.

Victor choked it down and resisted the urge to gag. He watched Benji do the same. They both laughed at the absurdity of it and Victor again squeezed Benji’s hand, feeling the electricity shoot through him at the warmth of Benji’s touch.

When they finished, they sat against a tree with Victor in Benji’s arms as he proceeded to continue studying for his math exam. He was determined to get Benji out of his pants when they studied in his room later that evening.

“You missed a step.” Benji said gently as Victor wrote down his solution to the equation.

Victor groaned. He hated Math.

****

Lake found Mia sitting at lunch away from the others. She could tell Mia was not doing well. Andrew was off at a table with his friends but Lake could see that his eyes kept wandering to Mia’s table. Clearly, he wanted to join them but either Mia had asked to sit alone or he didn’t feel comfortable joining.

“Hey…” Lake said as she approached.

Mia looked at her and forced a smile. “Hey.” she said.

Lake put her tray down and waited to see if Mia had anything to say. Instead, Mia seemed preoccupied with anything else, her head slowly turning to look at all the other tables in the cafeteria-except Andrew’s of course.

“Mia.” Lake said, getting her attention.

“Yeah?” Mia replied, still not quite looking at her.

“What’s going on with you today?” Lake demanded. She sighed.

Mia’s head snapped back and she looked at Lake. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

Lake scoffed. “This is not fine. Spill.”

Mia looked at her again and sighed.

“Fine. I’m not fine. My dad is furious with Victor.”

“What?” Lake asked. This was the first she had heard of this. He had seemed a little tense when she saw him the night prior, but she didn’t get that he was furious at anyone. She didn’t know he could be.

“Yeah. He swears its not a gay thing. He’s just upset that he broke my heart apparently.”

Mia frowned. She wasn’t so sure it couldn’t be both. She decided not to say that in front of her best friend however.

Lake looked at Mia. “Okay well, hopefully he’ll get over it soon. Is that why you’re avoiding Victor still?”

“That’s a big part of it. But-” she trailed off.

Lake was having none of it. “Nuh uh. Talk. What’s the other part?”

Mia’s shoulders sagged as she gave in. “I knew that the school would react when Victor made his post. And I figured I’d get some of the backlash.”

Lake didn’t like where this was going. “Who said what?” she asked, reaching for her phone so she could start avenging her friend.

“They were mostly anonymous. Just some cruel comments that I didn’t expect. Mostly that I turned him gay. There were a few that were-”

Lake had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew where this was going. “Racist?”

Mia nodded. She was a rich black girl in a fairly liberal high school. But, she was with other rich white kids in Georgia. Racism was always going to factor into things. But having people sending her such comments right after her heart was broken hurt a lot. And she couldn’t even tell her father that she was hurting or why for fear he would take it out on Victor.

Lake looked at her and reached a hand over the table to rest it on Mia’s hand.

“People suck.” Lake said simply.

Mia laughed. She needed that. She looked at Lake and nodded her head in agreement. “Yes they do.”

Lake sighed and looked at her friend. Her beautiful, sweet, funny, good friend. Why would anyone want to hurt her? How had she wronged them aside from just existing?

“Anyway…” Mia sighed. “Veronica knows everything. I made her promise not to tell dad right now.”

Lake blinked. “So you and Veronica are-”

“We’re getting there. She’s been really supportive but not too pushy either. But she’s been there for me every day this week.”

Lake saw Mia smile. It was a warm smile she hadn’t seen before. Lake knew bits and pieces about Mia’s mom and why she had left. So for Mia to have a new mother figure that she could actually trust was huge. Lake knew that trust was a big deal for Mia, especially since she had been betrayed so recently by Victor. So for her to even start to trust Veronica was inconceivable.

Mia changed the subject, tired of talking about herself.

“How are you and Felix now that you’re public?”

“Well, Victor and Benji  _ totally _ stole our thunder so now we’re yesterday’s news.” Lake confessed. Mia laughed.

“But that’s a good thing I suppose because no one really cares if they see us together. And Felix is a pretty good kisser.”

Mia smiled, resting her chin on her hands as Lake talked.

“Have you two been out on a date yet?” she asked.

Lake shook her head. “Victor did give Felix his Olive Garden card so he wants to take me.”

Mia smiled. “Well, you can keep mine as well and go big. Maybe get a never-ending pasta bowl or something.” She laughed.

Lake snorted. Olive Garden wasn’t _exactly_ her idea of a romantic date. But, she knew Felix’s situation at home and she didn’t want to pressure him for anything more fancy. Besides, she liked him too much to care where they went. As long as she was with him, she’d make it work.

She let Mia continue to change the subject and soon her friend was back, talking and laughing. Lake watched her and smiled. She knew that Mia would still have more of these bad days. And the behavior of her father was definitely a concern, but for right now, Mia was having a good lunch with her best friend and that was what mattered. Lake would not ruin that. Instead, she joined in and helped her friend move on.

****

Pilar and Nora found a quiet table in the cafeteria and sat down. Nora smiled at her and dove right in as they sat.

“So, how do you like Creekwood High?” she asked.

Pilar shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Have you made many friends?”

“Not really.” Pilar admitted.

“Well, that’s okay. It takes some time here. It took me a while.” Nora admitted. “I was a bit weird when I was younger.” she paused. “Well, still am. But weird-er.” she smiled.

Pilar smiled back. “I get it. I also probably didn’t give anyone a real chance yet. I didn’t want to move.”

“From Texas. Right.”

“Yeah. And I’m not like Victor. I don’t play sports.”

“Are you a member of any clubs?” Nora asked.

Pilar shook her head. “No. I didn’t see any that interested me.”

“I get that. But if you change your mind, you’d be a welcome addition to our LGBTQ & Allies. Some people refer to it as The Alliance. I’m the club president.”

Pilar blinked at her. “I didn’t even know we had one.”

Nora smiled. “Yes. We’ve had one for years. And after Simon came out, I got really involved and ended up becoming the president this year. You might know a few of the people. Andrew, Lake, and Felix are all members. Felix has been a member since freshman year.”

“Of course he has.” Pilar said. She shrugged. “I’ll think about it. Thanks for the invite.”

Nora smiled. “No problem. We meet at 4pm every Tuesday and Wednesday. We’re in Room 101.”

Pilar nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked.

Nora looked at her carefully. “You mean how do I deal with having a gay older brother?”

“Yeah. I mean don’t get me wrong, Benji is pretty nice. I still liked Mia more-”

“Well, Simon never had a true girlfriend. He dated maybe once or twice but nothing serious. He had girls who were friends. His best friend Leah is still close with him. And then there’s me. But Simon’s boyfriend Bram is pretty cool. He’s like another annoying older brother I can tease.”

Pilar paused and then said. “Benji caught me lying last night about how I was doing. Did he speak to you?”

Nora shook her head. “Actually no.” She reached her hand out and took Pilar’s left hand. “Listen, I’ve been where you are Pilar. So I wanted to check on you myself. I hope that’s okay.”

Pilar felt her eye tear up and blinked it back. “Actually” she sniffed, “that’s the nicest thing anyone has done for me since I came here.”

Nora smiled at her and released her hand. The two proceeded to each lunch and continued their talk.

****

Victor arrived early for basketball practice and proceeded to get changed. He was already out the door as the other members of his team entered. Again, Victor could feel tension. But he tried to block it out. His focus was on the practice.

He jogged out of the locker room and onto the court. Coach Ford was already waiting with several racks of basketballs. Victor went up to the first rack and picked up a ball.

“Hi Coach.” Victor greeted.

He bounced the ball a few times and then jumped, aiming the ball for the hoop and watching it go in for what would have been a three pointer.

“Hey! That’s more like it! Let’s see more of that today okay?” Coach Ford said as his face lit up.

Victor smiled back and proceeded to retrieve the ball and repeat his performance.

****

Pilar followed Nora as she walked down to the classroom. She was nervous but Nora had been so warm and friendly during their conversation.

And honestly, Nora suggested it would help to better understand what Victor was going through. Pilar could not argue with that. No one else in her family was gay. She had no gay friends. And when she went to church, it was never mentioned, as the bond between a man and woman was sacred and anything else was, of course, a sin.

So joining a club that offered her a different perspective wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. And the fact that Felix was there made her feel a bit better.

Nora opened the door and Pilar saw that the classroom was nearly filled to capacity with students. Even Nora seemed to be taken aback.

“Looks like we have some new members.” Nora greeted, “Welcome everyone.”

Pilar spotted Felix and Lake and she took a seat next to Felix.

“Hey Pilar. Glad you could join us.” Felix said.

“I didn’t know this group existed until today.” Pilar admitted.

Felix didn’t seem surprised. “I’ve been a member for a while now and it only really gained attention this week.”

He didn’t say it but Pilar knew why: because of Victor.

The door opened and Pilar turned to see Andrew heading in, his head still wet from basketball and his uniform almost hanging out of his bag. He was clearly out of breath.

Nora just smiled at him and motioned for him to take a seat.

****

“Much better!” Coach Ford said as Victor sent the ball through the hoop with a swish.

Victor looked at his teammates, and saw that they were all looking away from him or had their heads down. Only Kieran looked Victor in the eye and smiled. Victor looked around and noticed that Andrew was not present. He must have left earlier Victor realized.

“Alright guys! Victor, that was great. If you can do that tomorrow, then we might actually have a chance of winning a game!” Coach said, clearly excited again.

“Good job Vic.” Kieran said. 

The others, including Teddy, mumbled “Good job.” but did not look Victor in the eye.

“Thanks guys.” Victor said, knowing that they were all uncomfortable.

Coach looked at the team, and shrugged. “Alright then. Hit the showers and I’ll see you all for tomorrow’s game.” 

The team almost seemed to sigh as they moved to the locker room. Victor took his time entering, instead he decided to talk to Coach Ford.

“So Coach, does this mean I can start tomorrow?” He asked.

Coach Ford looked at Victor like he had two heads. “Well duh!” he exclaimed. “Without you, we’d lose for sure!” he laughed.

“Thanks Coach.” He started to walk back to the locker room and paused.

“Um. Where did Andrew go?”

“Oh, he told me he had to leave by 4pm.” Coach Ford said absentmindedly, “He’s going to be doing that every Tuesday and Wednesday from now on. We’ve worked it out. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be good for tomorrow’s game.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Victor said.

  
  


He turned and headed toward the locker room.

When he entered, the scene inside changed immediately. Whatever jokes and laughter there had been was now replaced with the furious scramble for his teammates to dry off and finish dressing.

By the time Victor had started to undress and grab his towel, everyone but Kieran had left.

Kieran finished tying his shoes and grabbed his bag.

“Kieran! Come on! We have to meet Andrew!” Terry said.

Kieran seemed puzzled but nodded and grabbed his bag. He turned back to Victor.

“Great Job Victor. See you tomorrow!”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow.” Victor said with a wave.

He waved to Tommy but the other boy ignored him, focused instead on Kieran as he half pushed his friend out the door.

Victor once again found himself alone in the locker room. He sighed and proceeded to the shower. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to recap:
> 
> More drama but also more hope. 
> 
> For those who might forget, Kieran was Lake's date at the dance. Tommy is another one of Andrew's friends. At some point I had to start putting names in for these players. So I started there.


	19. Study Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian gives Benji the ultimate test.  
> Benji is determined to get Victor to ace his math exam on Friday.  
> Lake asks Felix over to help her study for their Anatomy exam.  
> Felix meets Lake's mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the great and detailed comments. Although you may all end up killing me with your requests, I have taken them into consideration (so long as it takes me less than 100 chapters!). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of big things coming up as we wrap up Wednesday and head into Thursday. This long, long week is slowly coming to an end.

Benji immediately saw that Victor was upset when he entered Brasstown. He had become an expert at reading his boyfriend and picking up on his body language. He quickly determined that while Victor was upset, this was not to the degree of needing to call Felix. A quick recollection of the day was all Benji needed to know that this was related to the basketball team.

He waved at Victor as he approached and Victor smiled back with a slight wave. So again, Benji could tell that this wasn’t terrible, but Victor was still upset. When Victor came back within minutes of grabbing his apron, Benji knew it was safe to ask the question he wanted to ask.

“How was practice? Any better?”

Victor nodded. “Coach is gonna start me tomorrow.”

“That’s great! How was the team? Were they better?”

“Well, Kieran said I did a good job.”

Benji saw the scrunch face and pounced.

“And the rest of the team? What about Andrew?”

Victor shrugged. “Andrew had to leave early for something.”

Benji also now knew when Victor was dodging. He persisted.

“And the rest of the team? How did that go?”

Victor sighed and Benji tensed as he waited for the answer.

“They all are still barely speaking to me or looking at me. And they got out of the locker room fast again.”

Benji frowned. “Did you talk to Coach Ford?”

Victor scoffed. “Why would I do that B? How would it make things better to try and force my team to stick around if they aren’t comfortable.”

“Well they’re making you uncomfortable.”

“But they aren’t saying or doing anything to me. They are just avoiding me.”

“That doesn’t seem great for a team though.” Benji pointed out.

Victor shrugged. “You’re right. But I can’t force them to just accept me.”

With customers approaching, Victor moved to the counter, signaling this conversation was done for now. Benji moved to make drinks as Victor started taking orders. He made a mental note to try and talk to Andrew as soon as possible.

****

Victor learned that Armando had taken on a major project in rewiring one of the old buildings and the deadline for completion was fast approaching. As a result, and due to the new living situation, Armando was working late every week night for the next three weeks.

As this was happening, Isabel had also been forced to offer more piano lessons and now found herself traveling to the homes of the children to teach them. Pilar had agreed to pick up Adrian from school with Victor agreeing to watch him after he finished with work and on the weekends.

He didn’t mind. He actually enjoyed having this time alone with his siblings. And so after finishing up at Brasstown with Benji, the two had stopped off to grab some take out to bring over. 

Victor invited Felix to join them as the five ate dinner and discussed their day. Adrian was proud to hear that his older brother would be playing tomorrow. Pilar had promised to take him and Benji had promised to hold up signs with him to cheer Victor on.

Victor also noticed that his sister seemed to be in a better mood. When Victor asked her how school was she did not reply with her usual “Fine.” Instead, she said “It wasn’t bad.”

This seemed to catch the attention of both Victor and Benji but neither said anything more. The topic of work was brought up. Aside from a few anecdotes about some pushy customers, Victor and Benji didn’t have much to share.

“I actually have to get going.” Felix said, causing all attention to suddenly focus on him after a fairly boring dinner conversation.

“Where are you going?” Pilar asked with a gleam of mischief in her eye.

“Uh. Well, Lake and I agreed to meet up and study.” 

Victor looked at Benji and smirked. If Felix’s study sessions were anything like theirs, Felix was going to have a very good night indeed.

“Good luck.” Benji said, ignoring Victor’s teasing look. He knew that Victor also wanted to get to studying.

“Thanks.” Felix said as he rose from the table and cleared his meal. He said his goodbyes and headed out.

Victor looked at Adrian. “Alright buddy. Are you ready for a bedtime story?”

Adrian looked over at Victor and seemed to hesitate.

Victor grew concerned. “Everything okay Adrian?”

Adrian looked from Victor to Pilar to Benji. “Could Benji read it to me?” he asked.

Victor felt his jaw lower and quickly closed it. He exchanged an amused look with his very confused boyfriend.

“Ask him.” Victor said with a smile.

Adrian looked over at Benji, who seemed to have regained his composure and asked, “Benji, would you read to me?”

Benji looked over at Victor and saw he was smiling with approval. Pilar also seemed to be smiling. Benji smiled and looked over at Adrian.

“I would love to Adrian.”

Pilar turned to her younger brother. “Why don’t you go get changed and Benji will be in shortly.” she said.

Adrian nodded and excused himself from the table. He then headed to his room to change.

Benji looked at Victor. “Sorry about that. Are you okay with this?”

Victor chuckled. “Are you kidding? You just got the highest honor Adrian can offer. That’s like his seal of approval B.”

Pilar agreed, smiling. “He’s right. You just won over one of your toughest critics. Just don’t mess up the story.”

Benji frowned. He hadn’t been nervous about reading a bedtime story until just that moment.

“Hey, you’ll be fine.” Victor said, squeezing his hand and moving in to kiss him quickly.

“Thanks.” Benji said. 

“READY!” Adrian shouted from his room.

Pilar looked at Benji. “Good luck. Don’t blow it.” 

Benji looked back at the Salazar siblings and could tell they were amused by his predicament. He stood up and slowly walked down the suddenly long hallway to Adrian’s bedroom, hoping that this was not a trap.

****

Felix and Lake actually did study.

For the first half hour.

But after that, it became a study of each other’s mouths as their tongues moved around exploring. The two moved through Lake’s room until Felix tripped over his own discard shirt and lost his balance. He found himself flat on his back on Lake’s bed.

“Wow.” he breathed.

“You aren’t so bad yourself.” Lake said with a smile. She bent down and resumed kissing him.

Felix felt himself covered in her hair as it cascaded onto his face. Lake continued to furiously attack Felix’s mouth as he struggled to get enough air in between. The hair didn't make it easier. Finally, he decided to roll and Lake let out a small cry of surprise as she was rolled to her side, freeing Felix from her hair and allowing him to breathe a bit more.

Lake didn’t seem to mind as she continued to press her attack. Felix surrendered to his invading foe and allowed her in. When she withdrew for air, he moved to kissing her jawline and down her neck. He briefly considered a love bite but knew that a hickey would not go over well. He instead made his way back up to her lips, acting like he hadn’t even missed a step.

Lake’s phone buzzing caused them to finally pull apart.

“Sorry.” Lake said as she untangled herself from Felix and stood up to retrieve her phone from her bedside table.

Felix took the opportunity to get some badly needed oxygen and sat up.

She looked down at the phone and sighed. “It’s my mom. She’s on her way home.”

Felix’s face flushed. He had not  _ technically _ met Lake’s mother yet. Sure, he had been in the same room with her, but she didn’t know that. He was hiding under the bed for almost an hour while Lake’s mother proceeded to body shame her.

That had not endeared Felix to the woman and he really wasn’t interested in trying to earn her approval tonight.

“How long?” he asked, running a hand through his always messy hair in some failed attempt to make it look better.

Lake frowned. She knew what Felix was thinking. And thing was, she actually  _ wanted _ her mother to meet Felix. She was proud to date him. But if Felix wasn’t comfortable, she didn’t want to force the issue so soon.

“We have another 20 minutes if you want to-”

“Study” Felix said with air quotes. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and smirked.

Lake laughed. “Exactly” she said before setting her phone down and resuming their study session.

****

Victor was actually studying. Benji, caring boyfriend that he was, had not taken Victor’s bait this time and his shirt had stayed on. In fact, all of his clothes except his shoes (which he had taken off before entering the apartment because he was polite like that) were still on. And Victor was pouting hard. He soon realized that Benji was immune to pouting. Or at least, to his pouting when it came to math.

After a successful job putting Adrian to bed, Victor and Benji had excused themselves to study upstairs just as Victor’s mom returned. So now, nearly at 9pm, Victor found himself actually studying for his math test and blaming Benji for it.

“What about 12?” He asked. His prior offer of 10 had been rejected.

“All of them.” Benji reaffirmed. He stood in front of the bed with his arms crossed against his tight white t-shirt.

Victor pouted more. “I can’t get all 20 of them!” he whined, collapsing dramatically on the bed and pulling a pillow over his head.

Benji just rolled his eyes. “Yes you can. I believe in you.” he said with a smirk.

Victor sat up and threw the pillow at Benji. “This isn’t some feel good educational success movie!” 

Benji caught the pillow and laughed. “Not with that attitude, it's not!” he said, tossing the pillow back at Victor.

Victor pouted more but realized it would have no effect. And Benji decided to remind him of that.

“Listen, I am walking out that door fully dressed at 10pm. So if you want any chance at a reward, you better crack open that text book and get to work.”

“Fine!” Victor pouted and threw the pillow back at Benji again. Benji caught it but did not throw it back this time.

Victor opened his textbook and grabbed his notebook and calculator. With one final death glare at Benji, he put his head down and got to work on solving the problems. He hated how good Benji was at math. He knew his boyfriend had already completed his homework and would easily pass the test on Friday. Victor however was a B student at best when it came to Math and lately, he was not feeling at his best in the subject. He once again cursed the inventors of algebra and determined he would never use it in real life- despite what Benji and Felix claimed.

Benji watched him work silently, hovering behind him to make sure he wasn’t trying to cheat by checking the back of the textbook for answers.

Victor worked furiously for the first fifteen minutes, making his way through ten of the problems. When he got to problem 11, Victor stared at the question before him and realized right away that Benji was going to keep his pants on. In fact, as he looked at the next problem, he realized the shirt was also likely staying on. Frustrated, he slammed the book closed.

“Hey…” Benji soothed. He sat down on the bed, laid an arm on Victor’s shoulder and rubbed it. “It’s okay.”

He motioned for Victor to open his book and notepad again. “Let’s see how you did.”

Victor sighed and opened the book back to the page he was on. He passed his notepad to Benji.

Benji started checking the math against the answers in the back of the textbook.

Victor stared at his clock. It was now 9:20pm. He had exactly one more day before the exam and he was still failing to crack these harder problems.

Benji tapped him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. Victor’s head snapped back.

“How bad?” he asked.

Benji smiled. “Actually, you got the first ten correct. Do you want to take another crack at the other ten?”

Victor’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected to get the first ten correct. Maybe he was starting to actually get the hang of it.

He cracked open the book and looked at the problems again. He shook his head. “See, I can get the first two steps. But after that- I just get lost.”

Benji nodded. “It’s a bit tricky to keep track but I can help you if you want?”

Victor looked at him. “Like tutor me?” he said with a mischievous grin.

“For a price.” Benji retorted, and Victor saw that evil gleam now in his eye.

Victor gulped. “What do you want?”

Benji grinned. He stroked his chin pretending to actually think about it. Then he stood up and looked at Victor. “Well, seeing as how you are _so_ obsessed with my state of undress, I think it’s only fair to return the favor.”

Victor nodded and started to remove his shirt. Benji put out a hand to stop him.

“Nope. Pants. Off. Now.”

Victor looked at Benji for a second and then grinned. He stood up and undid his belt and then for added effect, he slowly lowered his jeans to the floor he kicked his legs out of the fabric and pushed the jeans against his bed. He sat back on the bed still wearing his t-shirt, a pair of blue plaid boxers, and his white socks.

“Okay. Teach me oh wise one.” He said.

Benji laughed and moved the textbook on the bed so they could better see.

****

It turned out Victor needed a lot more tutoring than Benji or he had realized. And so as they went along, Benji decided to renegotiate his fee. As a result, Victor now sat on his bed in just his boxers as Benji continued, fully clothed, to tutor him.

“And that’s it.” Benji finished, looking back at Victor and enjoying the view. He smiled.

“Okay. Believe it or not, I think I actually get it.” Victor admitted.

Now it was Benji’s turn to pout. “So I guess I don’t get everything tonight then?” he teased.

Victor glared at Benji. “Not tonight, teach.”

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:45pm. He still had 15 minutes…

“But, I think I can reward you another way.” he said, sitting up on the bed. He moved the textbook and notebook to the floor and then returned to Benji, pulling his tutor in for a long kiss.

And then they were off. Victor felt electricity coursing through his body as Benji touched his bare chest and pushed him down on the bed, kissing him furiously as he did so.

Victor wrapped his legs around Benji’s waist and pulled him all the way down to the bed, intertwining their legs as they lay on the bed making out.

Victor paused to say “Thanks, teach.”

Benji grinned as strands of hair fell into his eyes. “Any time.” And he meant it. He could get used to this type of tutoring.

****

Felix and Lake heard the keys in the door just in time. Lake immediately jumped off Felix and straightened her shirt and pants. She picked up Felix’s shirt from the ground and tossed it back to him. He caught it and quickly yanked it over his head He then scrambled to pick up his vest which had landed closer to the the bedroom door. 

Lake looked in the mirror and quickly combed her hair, making herself look presentable. 

Moments later, there was a soft knock on the door as Lake’s mom entered. Georgina Meriwether, local news anchor, took a look at her daughter and saw that she and Felix were on her bed working hard at the their science homework.

“And who is this handsome young man?” Lake’s mother asked, a smile coming to her face as if she were reporting on an upbeat story about puppies.

Lake stood up and motioned for Felix to do the same.

“Mom, this is Felix. He’s my boyfriend.” she said.

Years of reporting on terrible accidents, crime waves, and natural disasters made it difficult to surprise such a seasoned reporter. But for a fraction of a second, Georgina Meriwether’s face fell. 

“Boyfriend.” She repeated, her tone still cheery.

Felix, nervous enough already, simply waved from his spot, afraid to approach her for many reasons- none of them being her job. But Georgina naturally didn’t think about that. She was used to people being star struck in her presence.

“Welcome Felix. I wasn’t aware that my daughter had a boyfriend.”

“It only happened less than a week ago mom.” Lake admitted. “We ended up together during the spring fling.” This was technically not a lie. Though if Georgina had actually done any _real_ local news reporting, she’d need only to check Creeksecrets to find the full story given the video of Lake’s declaration on stage was still prominently displayed just under Victor’s post about coming out.

“Well, that’s wonderful.” Georgina said. Felix wasn’t exactly the type of man she had pictured Lake with. He was clearly more of a nerd. And his hair- she knew what to get him for Christmas- if the relationship lasted that long of course.

“We have a big test tomorrow. So Felix was just helping me study.”

Georgina nodded. “Well then, I’ll let you two get back to it. Would you like a snack?”

Lake shook her head. “We’re good mom. Thanks.”

“Alright sweetheart. Felix, it was so nice to meet you.” Georgina said.

“You too.” Felix lied.

The door closed and Lake waited until her mother was clearly out of range before she collapsed onto the bed. Felix sat down gently beside her.

“She hates me.” he said.

“No. She just hates me.” Lake replied with a sigh. She knew that she could never live up to her mother’s impossible standards for her and she was sick of trying. She was dating Felix because he made her feel good. And she wasn’t going to stop just because her mom didn’t approve of how he looked or acted. 

“Alright. Let’s get back to studying.” Lake said.

“ _Lake!_ You’re mom is right down- OH! You meant actual studying.” Felix said as he saw her turning back to her textbook. “Got it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the tables were turned! Benji has his revenge  
> Georgina and Felix do not get along. And Lake does not care one bit about how her mother feels.
> 
> What's next?
> 
> Basketball. Go Grizzlies!


	20. Go Grizzlies!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot can happen on the basketball court.  
> After all, there's no 'I' in TEAM.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for your kind feedback. I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying this.
> 
> When I wrote the first few chapters of this story, I had always planned to end it at 20 chapters. Instead, this chapter is barely the middle of where we're going. That said, it is a pretty big chapter in terms of accelerating the plot so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Forgive me if I mess up basketball rules/terms. Trying to keep straight what happens in high school basketball vs. college and professional basketball was not easy and some websites were less than helpful in trying to answer the questions I had. So I did my best.

_Simon-_

_It’s getting better every day. Being with Benji helps and my friends have been an amazing support._

_The only problem is that the basketball team is ignoring me. They tense up every time I am in the locker room and either quickly change or wait for me to do so. And they are always out of the showers before I even get into the locker room._

_If that was all this was, I could probably deal with it. But it’s starting to translate to the basketball court too. They are passing the ball to me less and less in practice._

_I’m not sure what to do. I know it’s only been a few days, but tonight is our first game and I just worry we’ll lose because we aren’t working together as a team._

_\- Victor_

****

Victor walked into the locker room to get ready for the game and saw that his team was already dressed. Only Kieran and Andrew seemed to be taking their time. Andrew had his shirt off and nodded to Victor when he came in. Kieran pulled up his shorts and then pulled on his socks and smiled at Victor.

Tommy and several of the others glared at Victor every time Andrew and Kieran were not looking. Victor sighed and just finished changing. He followed the others out of the locker room as the announcer introduced the two teams.

Victor waved at the crowd. For the first time ever, his parents were not present in the crowd. Both were working, he knew. However he still had a pretty strong cheering section. Pilar and Adrian stood with Benji as he raised a sign cheering on his boyfriend. Adrian stood next to him trying to raise his own sign high and getting assist from Benji. Next to Pilar, Victor saw Nora cheering as well. Felix and Lake also had their own signs and Victor saw that Mia was cheering for the team-he assumed mostly for Andrew.

Victor saw Mr. Worth, decked out in full Grizzlies gear cheering from the sidelines. Ms. Albright, also wearing her basketball gear, was getting into the spirit and stood close to the team's bench.

Victor and the team huddled up and listened for words of wisdom from Coach Ford.

“Okay guys, let’s try not to lose too badly. And make sure to pass the ball.” Coach said. He winced. He was really bad at motivational speeches. “Grizzlies on three. One. Two. Three-”

“GRIZZLIES!” the team shouted. They clapped and Victor, Andrew, Kieran, Zack and Jeff, the team’s starting lineup, made their way to the court.

The whistle blew and the game started. Quickly, Andrew managed to get control of the ball and passed it to Victor. Victor ran along the court, dribbling the ball as fast as he could. He got to the three point spot and leapt, shooting the ball right at the basket. It went in with a swish and the crowd went wild. Victor turned to see Benji screaming wildly along with Adrian and Pilar. He smiled.

He turned back and prepared to defend against the opposing player, doing his best to avoid getting fouled. To his right, Andrew managed to prevent the other players from scoring. The opposing shooter passed the ball to his teammate.

Kieran managed to intercept the ball and dribbled it back to the other side of the court, Victor ran hot on his heels as the opposing team quickly blocked Victor. Zack ran up the court as well and Victor found himself on his back as his own teammate knocked him down. The ref looked at Zack and Victor but did not blow his whistle. Instead, he kept up with Kieran.

Kieran had seen the collision and managed to pass the ball to Andrew, who shot a two pointer and just managed to get the ball in the basket. Because it was his own team member, no foul was called, but Victor could tell that the crowd saw what happened as they booed.

“Watch where you’re going you f-” Zack started to mutter.

“Enough!” Andrew said, as he ran back “Go after them!” he said, motioning for Zack to go back and play defense.

He extended an arm and yanked Victor up. “You okay?” Andrew asked.

Victor nodded. He quickly moved back to play defense and join Kieran and others. Unfortunately, that time on the ground had proven just enough to allow the opposing team to score. It was now 5 to 2 Grizzlies.

****

“What the hell?!” Felix shouted. 

Benji felt his face going red. It was only because Adrian was holding tightly to his hand that he hadn’t run onto that court and socked Zack in the mouth. 

“That was not a trip!” Lake shouted. She had pulled out her phone and was now recording the game. She wanted evidence in case anything else happened. Benji saw several others students were now doing the same.

Nora was shaking her head. The crowd booed when Victor was knocked down by Zack and it was clear that they were on Victor’s side. Mia winced when it happened but she found herself grateful that Andrew had intervened so quickly.

Benji looked across the court and saw that Coach Ford had seen it too. He was in a furious conversation with Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright. Clearly they were not happy.

But Victor clearly wasn’t letting it get to him Benji saw. He kept running up and down the court, passing the ball and managing to make a few more two and three pointers. Soon the score was 35: 20 Creekwood.

****

As soon as the first quarter ended, Coach gathered the team. 

“Okay guys, let’s remember that the other team is who we are trying to beat. Not each other.” he said, looking directly at Zack.

“Sorry Coach, I tripped.” he said.

Victor looked at him but said nothing. 

“No you didn’t! You deliberately knocked into Victor!” Kieran said. “I saw you!”

Andrew was staring daggers at Zack but said nothing.

“It’s fine guys.” Victor said. He just wanted to get through the game and not make this any more difficult.

Coach Ford shot Victor a look, asking if it _really_ was fine. Victor ignored him. He was fired up. “I’m fine. C’mon. We’re up! We can do this!”

Kieran looked at Victor reluctantly and nodded his head. Zack said nothing but inclined his head and the others followed. Andrew just watched Zack. 

The buzzer sounded and the second period began.

Victor managed to get control of the ball and dribbled his way up for a run at the opposing team's hoop. At the last second, the player from the opposing team tried to stop him and caused a foul. The referee blew his whistle and Victor walked to the foul line to shoot his two baskets. He dribbled the ball slowly, taking a moment to breath. Then he raised his arms, made eye contact with the backboard and shot the ball at it. It bounced around the rim and went in. The crowd cheered. Victor glanced at his teammates but aside from Andrew and Kieran, they had their eyes elsewhere. Victor ignored them.

He caught the ball and dribbled for a second shot. He looked just for a second at Benji and saw his boyfriend watching him intently. He could see, even far up in the stands, that Benji was smiling at him. He raised his arms, and shot, the ball went through the net with a swoosh and the crowd erupted as Victor fell back to join his team in defending their side of the court.

****

The Grizzlies were more than halfway through the second period and Victor had the ball. He motioned for his team to get open and saw Kieran and Andrew trying. Beside him, Zack was wide open. Sighing, Victor tossed the ball to him and Zack ran forward, but as he ran, dribbling the ball in his right hand, his left elbow extended and caught Victor just above his gut, causing him to double over and gasp for air. He had caught the elbow hard in the ribs. He doubled over in pain.

Kieran saw it and charged just as Zack shot his basket. Before the ball even missed the rim, Kieran’s left fist had connected with Zack’s face and he fell to the floor as the whistles screeched the game to a halt and the crowd went nuts.

The referee turned to Kieran and signaled that he was ejected from the game. Kieran, nursing what might well be a broken hand, did not protest. He walked back to the bench while Coach Ford called a time out.

Andrew came over looking both furious and concerned as he saw Victor still bent over.

“Victor-” he started to say.

“I’ll... be... okay. Just... knocked the...air...out..of me.” he gasped inbetween the sharp pain he was feeling.

Andrew grabbed him by the arm and guided him to the bench. Beside him, Zack was sitting on the floor, holding a towel to his bleeding mouth as medics tended to him.

Mr. Worth was on the court now and Ms. Albright was over by Kieran. Victor couldn’t tell if she wanted to praise him or shout at him for slugging Zack.

Mr. Worth finished talking to the refs and walked back over to Victor and Andrew.

“Victor. Are you okay?” he asked kneeling down beside him, his face a mixture of concern and simmering anger. He had not seen Mr. Worth angry before and it startled him.

“I’ll be okay sir. Really. It was just an accident.”

“No Victor. It wasn’t an accident.” Andrew said. He had his arm resting on Victor’s shoulder to steady him.

Mr. Worth nodded. “I agree with Andrew. That was a deliberate act.” he sighed. “Zack and Kieran are both ejected from the game.”

Victor wanted to protest, but he couldn’t get the air out. Mr. Worth helped Victor towards the chairs along with Andrew.

Coach Ford joined them. “Andrew, get back in there. Victor sit down and rest for a few.” The coach looked at him and Victor could see the mixture of sympathy for Victor and anger and guilt at what his team had done under his watch all of his face. 

Victor nodded. He knew he wasn’t yet in any shape to run. Andrew clearly didn’t want to leave his side however. 

“I’ll be okay. Go” he said as Andrew nodded and quickly hurried onto the court before Creekwood would be penalized.

The whistle blew again and the game resumed.

Victor looked over at Kieran and saw that Ms. Albright now had his hand in a bucket of ice. He glanced at Victor as if to ask if he was okay. Victor nodded.

Mr. Worth had moved on and was now sitting on the bleachers talking with Zack. He could tell that Mr. Worth was livid purely by the body language the usually laid back man was now displaying. 

Victor sighed. This was the last thing he had wanted. He had torn his team apart.

****

The Grizzlies got through the rest of the second period and the entire third period without Victor. They were now tied at 67:67. Unfortunately, Andrew had fouled out and was now benched for the rest of the game. Victor, who had no fouls against him, was put back in after determining he was still up for playing.

While he was sore, Victor felt a surge of adrenaline as he returned to the court for the fourth and final period. As he headed back onto the court, the audience cheered his name and applauded loudly. Victor cringed from embarassment. This was not what he had wanted at all. His team looked at him and Victor could tell they had mixed feelings about what had happened.

Victor managed to get control of the ball and shot a three pointer, bringing the score up to 70: 67 Grizzlies.

The other team recovered the ball as Victor fell back to defend and saw his teammates do the same. His teammate Jeff managed to obtain the ball and attempted to run to the basket. He was quickly stopped. Victor was open. He tried to make that clear to Jeff and locked eyes with the other boy. Jeff turned his head and passed the ball to Tommy, who was not open. Unfortunately, it was intercepted by the opposing team as they ran down the other side and scored a three pointer. Victor, so stunned by the move, forgot to run down with the rest of the team and he could tell by the crowd’s booing that they saw what Jeff had done.

Victor caught a glimpse of Andrew on the sidelines. He was apoplectic. Coach Ford was shaking his head. Mr. Worth looked incredibly disappointed and Ms. Albright seemed to be shouting at the team, and especially Jeff, as they tried to defend against the opposition, her entire body animated as she seemed to be calling them out for not passing to Victor. Victor could not hear her over the roar of the crowd.

Victor quickly fell back to offense as his team rushed back and he tried again to get open. The team ignored him. Before they could shoot, the whistle blew.

“Time Out Grizzlies!’ the ref shouted. The crowd booed and Victor quickly ran to join his team in a huddle, holding his side as he felt the pain in his ribs.

Coach Ford was angry and clearly about to say something but Ms. Albright pushed right past him. He might be angry, but she was enraged.

“What in the _HELL_ do you think you are doing? What TEAM are you on?” she demanded.

When none of the team answered, she continued. “Pass the damn ball to your teammate you idiots! He was open! And lord knows he’s a better player then ALL of your sorry white asses put together! SUCK IT UP or hit the showers! This crap won’t fly at Creekwood. We preach _TOLERANCE_ you IDIOTS! Get that through your dumb jock heads!” 

Coach Ford nodded and added in a stern voice “What she said. It’s embarrassing to lose, but as long as we lose as a team, that’s what matters. Now please guys. We’re so close!”

Ms. Albright looked at Coach Ford and then back at the team. She extended her arm and stabbed her finger like a dagger at the court. “Get your SORRY ASSES out on that court and play like a team or so help me-!”

The rest of Ms. Albright’s threat was interrupted by the buzzer signaling the end of the time out. Victor along with Mark, Jeff, Tommy, and Will jogged out onto the court and the final seconds ticked down. Mark managed to get the ball again. He passed it to Tommy. Victor was open. Tommy made eye contact with him. And he passed the ball. Victor caught it, dribbled twice and leapt, aiming for the basket. It hit the backboard, spun around the rim and sunk in just as the buzzer sounded, ending the game.

The Grizzlies won 72:70.

****

Mr. Worth had called the entire affair an utter embarrassment and betrayal to the school and its mission. He warned that if the team stepped one toe out of line, he would cancel the rest of the season. After a long tongue lashing from Ms. Albright and Coach Ford, who actually got really mad, despite his delight at winning, the team was dismissed to the locker room. Zack was now sitting in Ms. Albright’s office. The school’s resource officer had escorted him and Victor worried that he might be arrested.

Victor hung back as the others went to the locker room, knowing that it was the absolute last place he wanted to be. Andrew came up from behind and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Good game Victor. We owe you.” He gently steered Victor towards the locker room and walked in with is arm around Victor.

As the door to the locker room opened, Victor saw his teammates quickly undressing and getting ready to hit the showers. They all paused as he walked in. The room fell silent as everyone did their best to look anywhere but at Victor and Andrew.

Andrew released his hold on Victor and stepped forward.

“Okay. This shit stops **now**!” he shouted, waiting for all eyes to turn on him.

Victor froze. Beside him, Kieran had come up to his side. He stood there and smiled. Victor glanced at the other boy's bruised and bloodied hand and knew that his teammate had indeed broken it. But Kieran just looked at Victor and shrugged as if to say he had no regrets and only wished he had done it sooner. Victor looked at Andrew as he stood in the center of the locker room.

“We all owe Victor a huge thank you tonight! For the first time this year, we actually won a game.”

The others scoffed. Jeff glared at Victor and Tommy looked toward the floor, clearly embarrassed.

“And this, despite _no one_ on here treating him like a member of this team!” Andrew continued.

Again, the team fell silent. 

“So what is it? He’s gay! So what? He sure isn’t interested in any of you ugly fools!”

Tommy chuckled nervously.

Kieran snorted and Victor looked at him, imploring him to be quiet. He didn’t want to set anyone off.

“And what? You’re afraid to shower or change with him now?” Andrew said.

There were more looks and Victor heard muttering. 

“-checking me out.”

“-eyeballing my junk”

Victor felt himself turn red. He just wanted to go home. He didn’t want to cause any trouble. But Andrew wasn’t having it.

“Mark, the only reason anyone would check out your junk is to verify you actually _have_ it.” Andrew retorted to one of the boys, causing some small chuckles from other members of the team. Andrew silenced that with a glare. He wasn’t laughing. He motioned his hand back to where Victor was standing and pointed.

“Victor Salazar is a member of this team. And he is entitled to be treated **fully** as a member of this team. And that includes being treated respectfully in _this locker room_.” Andrew said, his eyes surveying everyone.

A few more eyes met Andrew’s, unable to escape his angry gaze, and they nodded slowly. More mutters but no one dared to cross Andrew.

“Great. So, we’re going to go into the showers together as a team now. And then we're gonna get dressed as a team. And finally, we're going to walk out of this locker room as a team” Andrew explained.

The protest grew loud immediately and Andrew looked at them all with disgust. “Bunch of cowards you are! Victor is brave enough to come out to the _whole school_ and you can’t even _shower_ next to him for five minutes?”

Again everyone looked down, and Victor just wanted this to end. He wanted Benji. He wanted to be home. He didn’t care about basketball any longer. He just wanted to be anywhere else.

“Well, I’m not afraid of showering with my teammate.” Andrew said.

He reached down and removed his jersey, tossing it to the floor. Several members of the team groaned and muttered. One wolf whistled. Andrew ignored them.

Then he hooked his waistband and pulled his basketball shorts down, kicking them on the floor next to Mark and Tommy. The two looked down at the floor and didn’t move.

Andrew stood there in his boxers and shoes. 

“Well?” he asked, extending his arms out in a shrug.

The others didn’t move. No one said anything. All eyes were on Andrew.

Victor cringed. He suddenly found the ceiling very fascinating as his eyes looked up, not wanting to see what came next.

“Fine.” Andrew said. More groans and protests echoed through the locker room as he hooked his thumbs around the waistband of his boxers and pulled them to his ankles, kicking them off so they landed in Jeff’s face. Jeff recoiled in horror as they hit him and Andrew stood there wearing nothing but his sneakers and socks as several of the team muttered and then fell silent as he looked at them. 

“I’m hitting the showers. Victor, you’re welcome to join me.” He said, turning slightly so Victor could see him without being embarrassed by seeing _all_ of him. 

Victor had his eyes still locked to the ceiling as he nodded. Andrew removed his shoes and tossed his socks at the others who were not moving- continuing to call them out as cowards. Then he took a towel from his locker and moved into the shower entrance.

“Andrew is right.” Kieran said to the others.

And Victor cringed as he saw Kieran try to remove his shirt with one arm. Eventually he succeeded and managed to undress down to his boxers. He looked at the others. 

Tommy sighed, finished undressing, grabbed his towel and headed for the showers. Mark followed reluctantly and soon Victor realized the whole team was heading in. Kieran looked over at Victor and smiled. He was going to wait for him. Victor, unsure what else to do at this point, smiled back, quickly undressed, and grabbed his towel.

Kieran did the same and had his towel held in his good arm as Victor followed him to the showers. Andrew had saved them both a stall on either end of him.

Victor, tensed as he saw everyone showering, doing his best to keep his eyes on the ceiling as he turned the water on and proceeded to wash up. He didn’t want to give anyone a reason to break this uneasy truce Andrew had just brokered.

Andrew looked over at Victor and smiled. “Give them time. I’ll get them into shape.” he promised. Then he added. “Great job out there today.”

He reached over and patted Victor on the shoulder. Victor jumped, not expecting the touch and he cried out from the pain of jumping. As he did so, he inadvertently turned his body turned and Andrew saw his ribs. 

A large, purple and black bruise from where Tommy had hit him had formed. And Andrew wasn’t the only one who saw it Victor realized. Kieran also saw it as did the other guys who had turned at the sound of his cry.

Instantly their eyes fell to the ground. Victor recognized the look. Pity. Only Andrew and Kieran seemed to be looking _at_ him. Kieran looked ready to hit Zack again and Andrew looked ready to help.

The team however said nothing to Victor about it. Instead, they finished showering in silence. As they moved to the lockers, several of them looked at Victor and said “Thanks” , "Good Job", and “Good Game.”

Mark reached into his locker and withdrew a cold compress. He passed it to Victor.

“You should ice that so there isn’t any swelling.” he said.

Victor accepted the ice pack and nodded. “Thanks.”

He moved to his locker and began to dress. He noticed that the rest of his team followed at their normal pace. 

They waited until he was fully dressed before they followed him out of the locker room, leaving together as a team like Andrew had directed.

****

The New York crew gathered around Simon’s laptop again as the footage captured Zack’s elbow connecting with Victor. Kim winced again. It was the fifth time Simon had played the footage and they winced every time they saw it. Ivy had sworn the first few times, but now she looked ready to hit someone. Bram looked ready to help her as his eyes blazed with anger. Justin had his hand over his mouth, more worried for Victor than angry at his attacker.

Simon however was silent. He said nothing each time the group asked to have the video replayed. He just replayed the video, absorbing every frame of footage in silence. After the fifth time, he turned to Bram. His boyfriend met his eyes, understanding the unspoken thought, and he nodded.

****

_Victor-_

_I saw the video of what happened tonight. First, I hope you are alright. That looked like a bad hit. I know you need your rest so I don’t expect you to get back to me tonight._

_Second, I am so sorry that this happened. I know we’ve talked about not being able to control how others may react, but what happened was totally unacceptable. I know the school feels the same. All I can say is that you need to let them help you and continue to lean on your friends._

_Third, don’t let this incident make you give up basketball. I know in the back of your mind, you are thinking about quitting. And I know how hard it is to stand against a crowd. But I know you Victor and basketball is a part of who you are. So do what you have to do to stay on that team because you earned your right to be there and you deserve to play. Don't let them take that from you._

_Everyone here is sending you their love and support. We’ll see you soon._

_Love,_

_Simon_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so there we are, all that tension with the team has come to a head.
> 
> Is it resolved? No not fully. But at least its been addressed and will be getting better.
> 
> For those who might wonder, this is the worst that I will hurt Victor in a story. And it was a lot for me to even go this far.
> 
> Zack by the way is a name I pulled from the cast list when hunting for student names. Originally, this was Tommy's role but at the last minute, I spared him from the worst of it.


	21. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events at the game, it's time to start healing.  
> Armando makes an unexpected request of Benji  
> Mia and Andrew talk.  
> Pilar is surprised.  
> Benji helps Victor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I really hope you like this chapter. Please leave your feedback either way though as it really helps!

“Hold still.” Benji warned as Victor winced in pain.

Clad just in a pair of light grey basketball shorts, Victor did his best to try and get comfortable as he breathed. He was lying on his bed as Benji gently put a new ice pack on his bruised ribs. 

Benji looked down at his patient with concern.

“How’s the breathing?”

“It only hurts when I laugh. Or talk. Or cry.” Victor said, with a smile.

Benji sat down on the bed next to Victor and pulled him close so Victor’s head was resting against Benji’s t-shirt.

He ran his hands through Victor’s hair while Victor continued to hold the ice pack over his ribs.

“You did a great job today. I was so proud of you.” Benji bent his head and kissed Victor’s forehead.

Victor looked up at him. “What did you see from your end?”

Benji’s brow furrowed. “I saw some moron purposely injure my boyfriend twice.” he replied. “I’m sorry Vic. It took all I had not to run down there and pummel him on the court.”

Victor looked back up at Benji and smiled. “I’m really glad you didn’t. I need you right here with me.” Benji smiled again and kissed him. He continued to lay on the bed next to him and play with his hair.

Victor sighed and cringed immediately as he felt a fresh jolt of pain from his bruised ribs. Zack’s hit had gone viral. He had an appointment with Mr. Worth , Ms. Albright, and Mr. Harris in the morning after his math test. His parents were also joining. Victor’s father was going to be very late getting home that evening and he didn’t want to leave Victor alone. But with Isabel also exhausted and his sister and brother needing to sleep, he didn’t want to just send Victor back down for her to worry. 

And she was plenty worried- and angry about what had happened. Victor had already been subjected to being fully inspected for bruises and bumps by his mother when he returned to the apartment. After she uttered some curses in Spanish that Victor had never heard her use before, she had fed Benji and Victor and let them go up to his father’s apartment to rest.

Victor had spoken to his father, who was still stuck at his job but very much wanted to rush right over. After assuring his father that he was fine, Armando had done something that had shocked Victor. He’d offered to let Benji stay over to make sure that he was okay. Benji had contacted his parents and they had agreed. And so Victor, unable to really help, had shown Benji how to pull out the sofa bed in the living room and helped him find the sheets to make it. Then Benji had ushered Victor to his own bed and was currently playing nurse to a very difficult patient.

Victor’s head was spinning. He was not looking forward to the meeting the next morning. The school and, for all he knew, the police were likely going to take his statement. He wasn’t sure if Zack was going to be expelled or not. He hated being the reason for that. He didn’t support Zack’s anger of course, but he didn’t want to be responsible for ruining the other boy’s life. And then there was Kieran and the action he might face for assaulting Zack. He felt so guilty about that. Benji could see the guilt all over his boyfriend’s face and he was having none of it.

“Hey” Benji said, leaning on one hand and rolling to his side to look at Victor, “You didn’t do any of this. Let the school handle it. Just be honest with them and it’ll be okay.”

Victor wanted to protest about his responsibility, but he knew that Benji wouldn’t budge on that. Besides, his ribs were still hurting. He nuzzled his head against Benji’s chest and enjoyed the soothing warmth it provided. He just wanted to feel safe and he knew as long as Benji was there, he’d be safe.

“So does this get me out of math?” he asked with a smile.

Benji chuckled. “That depends.” he teased. He held Victor close to him, his arm wrapped around his back and his hand holding his left shoulder.

Victor looked up at Benji. “On?”

“Well, I had practiced a little dance for you. If you got all the problems right this time.”

Victor stared at Benji. “A dance?” he repeated, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Benji nodded. “A _sexy_ dance.” he grinned as he rubbed Victor’s shoulder.

Victor’s ribs suddenly felt much better as he sat up, causing Benji to worry he had gone too far. Victor looked at him with more determination than he had seen even on the basketball court.

“Hand me those books.” he ordered.

Benji laughed hard and fell back on the bed, nearly rolling off it from laughter.

****

“I can’t believe Zack.” Mia said.

Andrew shook his head. “I knew he had been upset but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

Andrew had found Mia waiting outside the locker room after the game. After checking that Victor was okay, she asked Andrew to walk her home. He happily obliged.

“And Kieran? Is he going to be okay?” she asked.

Andrew shook his head. “It looks like he broke his hand. Coach called his parents and took him to the hospital to get it X-Rayed. They were meeting him there I think.”

Mia nodded. She felt bad for Kieran. Had she been in his place, she would have done the same. But with everything on video, there was no way he wasn’t suspended from school now.

Andrew looked at Mia as they walked he sighed. “I can’t help feeling that part of what happened was my fault.”

Mia stopped walking and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

Andrew shrugged. “I’ve been leaving practice early this week. I went to the LGBTQ Ally meetings. I’ve been trying to understand Victor’s…situation better.”

Mia blinked. She hadn’t known that. “I don’t follow how that’s a bad thing.”

Andrew shook his head. “I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it. So without me, the team was free to act out.”

Mia looked at him and shook her head. “That can’t be on you. They knew what they were doing. If they need you to babysit them and tell them how to behave, that says more about them and their lack of maturity than it does about you.”

Andrew looked at her and let his arms fall to his sides. He couldn’t argue with her, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t feeling guilty about the pain both Victor and Kieran were now feeling.

The two walked in silence a bit longer before Mia turned to him and said “I know you’re really trying and that you mean it. And...I’m proud of you.”

Andrew looked down at her and smiled. She smiled back.

They were outside her home now.

Mia paused, unsure of what she wanted to do next.

“I’d normally invite you in, but dad’s been in a mood lately and -”

Andrew held up a hand to stop her. “Hey, I get it.” he looked at her and smiled. He grabbed her hand and held it in his. “I meant what I said. I don’t want to be a rebound. You take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

He squeezed her hand and she smiled wide. He did the same and then released his hold, allowing their hands to fall to their sides.

Mia stared at Andrew for a few more seconds and then she stepped up on her tip toes and kissed Andrew on the cheek before returning back to the ground.

“Good night.” she said.

Andrew, still stunned, simply nodded at first before managing to mumble “Night.”

She smiled and turned to go inside, pausing in the doorway of her house to wave to him.

He managed a smile and waved back before she disappeared inside.

****

Victor had worked furiously at the math problems, remembering what Benji had taught him the night before. In truth, this focus had helped him forget about the pain in his ribs and, with ice, the pain had mostly faded for the moment aside from when he touched the bruise or breathed too deeply.

He finished the last problem and set his pencil down. He quickly looked at the problems and checked his work. Satisfied, he handed it to Benji for correction.

Benji looked at the clock and saw it was just past 9:15pm. 

“That was fast.” he said.

“I was motivated.” Victor said. He smiled and Benji smiled back. And it was _that_ smile, the one that drove Victor wild. But he felt a dull pain in his ribs again and pushed the ice to it. He would need to be careful tonight.

Benji took the notebook and cracked open the answer section of the textbook. He proceeded to correct Victor’s work.

After a few minutes, he set the pencil down and turned to Victor. He grinned, his smile as wide as Victor had seen it. “Well done. You got all twenty. A perfect score.”

Victor’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

Benji laughed. “Seriously. Congratulations Victor. I’m so proud of you. You know, you’re actually pretty good at math when you have the right motivation.”

Victor couldn’t disagree. He looked up at Benji with a gleam in his eye. He wanted his reward now.

Benji laughed and sat up from the bed. 

“Okay, okay. You win. Here’s your reward.” he said with _that_ smile.

He turned on his phone and pulled up his music app.

Victor laughed as the music began. _Sexy_ dance indeed:

_I'm too sexy for my love_

_Too sexy for my love_

_Love's going to leave me_

Benji smiled and began dancing to the beat of the music at the foot of Victor’s bed, making sure to shake his booty plenty.

_I'm too sexy for my shirt_

_Too sexy for my shirt_

_So sexy it hurts_

Benji pulled his t-shirt up slowly, exposing his abs, pecs, and armpits as Victor watched in awe. 

_And I'm too sexy for Milan_

_Too sexy for Milan_

_New York, and Japan_

Benji pulled the shirt the rest of the way off as he continued to dance to the beat and twirled it around his head. Victor cheered and applauded, completely forgetting he had ribs or any pain that was still being experienced.

_I'm too sexy for your party_

_Too sexy for your party_

_No way I'm disco dancing_

Benji continued dancing, and tossed the shirt to the floor. He kept smiling as he looked into Victor’s eyes. Victor felt his body flush with heat as he watched his boyfriend dance just for him.

_'Cause I'm a model, you know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

Benji’s face got serious as he proceeded to walk slowly from the dresser to the bed like a model on the catwalk, turning slowly so that his back was fully to Victor, but turning his head back to give him a wink.

_Yeah, on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk, yeah_

_I shake my little tush on the catwalk_

At this line, Benji proceeded to shake his tight-jeaned booty fully in Victor’s face. Victor laughed, and his ribs reminded him that was not a good idea. Victor pushed the ice more fully over the bruise and pushed through the pain with gritted teeth.

_I'm too sexy for my car_

_Too sexy for my car_

_Too sexy by far_

Benji bent down and slowly removed his left sock as he continued to shake his booty much to Victor’s delight and laughter.

_And I'm too sexy for my hat_

_Too sexy for my hat_

_What do you think about that?_

Benji removed his right sock and now holding a sock in each hand proceeded to twirl them around over his head as he danced to the next lyric. Victor did his best to bop along with the beat from his seated position on the bed.

_'Cause I'm a model, you know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

_Yeah, on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk, yeah_

_I shake my little tush on the catwalk_

Again, Benji shook his booty, tossing the socks to join his shirt.

Victor felt tears coming down his face and couldn’t tell at that moment if it was from the laughter or the pain he was in. But he didn’t care. He was fully into Benji’s sexy dance.

_Too sexy for my_

_Too sexy for my_

_Too sexy for my_

Benji undid his belt and threaded it through his jeans, waving it over his head as he had done previously, before tossing it to join the rest of his clothes.

_'Cause I'm a model, you know what I mean_

_And I do my little turn on the catwalk_

Benji again did his catwalk dance and turned around. But this time, Victor saw him unbutton his jeans before turning.

_Yeah, on the catwalk_

_On the catwalk_

_Yeah, I shake my little tush on the catwalk_

As Benji shook his booty, he yanked his jeans down to his ankles, revealing his tight black briefs and shaking them in Victor’s direction. He stepped out of the jeans and kicked them to the side with the rest of his clothes.

_Too sexy for my cat_

_Too sexy for my cat_

_Poor pussy_

_Poor pussy cat_

Now in just his tight black briefs, Benji danced to the music, again strutting like he was walking the catwalk, and he started walking forward to the bed.

_I'm too sexy for my love_

_Too sexy for my love_

_Love's going to leave me_

Benji got onto the bed and crawled to Victor slowly, causing Victor to remain frozen in place.

_And I'm too sexy for this song_

Benji shot forward and locked lips with Victor. Victor remained seated, bringing a hand up to caress Benji’s cheek as he kissed him long and hard.

When they pulled apart, Benji smiled and asked “Sexy enough for you?”

Victor smiled back. “Oh yes. **_Very_ ** sexy.” he kissed Benji again.

****

Pilar had managed to get Adrian to bed after the other boy’s endless questions about why everyone was so upset that Victor got hurt. It was difficult to explain to him that what had happened was not an accident and that Victor’s teammate had deliberately tried to harm him.

With her mother now home and Benji taking care of Victor upstairs, Pilar returned to her own room and saw that her phone had exploded in her absence. She was incredibly surprised. Her phone never had this many messages since she had moved to Atlanta.

_Pilar- Just checking on you and Victor. Please let me know if you need anything. Always willing to listen no matter how late it is - Nora_

_Pilar- Hoping you and Victor are okay. I know we didn’t get a chance to talk after the game, but I’m here if you need anything - Mia_

But it was the other messages of support she received that surprised her. Classmates who she was certain never knew her name had messaged her offering support and well wishes. She realized many of them were from the alliance. But there were others from the school as well. There were dozens in fact.

_What Zack did was not right. So sorry for you and your brother. Sending love_

_No one deserves that. Hoping Victor is okay. Wishing you peace and love._

_Pilar. You don’t really know me but I couldn’t sit by after what I saw. You and your brother are very brave and he deserved better. Just know that so many of us support you both and the school is here for you._

_Pilar- The alliance stands ready to support you and Victor during this difficult time._

And the messages went on and on.

Pilar felt tears stream down her face but for once, she was not sad. She felt like she was part of a community again.

****

Victor lay against Benji’s chest as the two rested on the bed, exhausted by the events of the day.

Benji continued to play with Victor’s hair.

“So you never told me. What happened after the game.” Benji asked. He had avoided asking before because of how hurt Victor had been. But now that he had been calmed by Benji’s sexy dance skills, Victor seemed much more open to talking.

“Oh. It was awkward. But Andrew got them to come around.” 

Benji looked down. “He did?”

Victor looked up at Benji and stared into his perfect brown eyes. “Yeah. He yelled at them.”

Beni snorted. “Well, so did everyone else. Or didn’t you hear the boos?”

Victor smirked. “Right. Well, Andew talked about how they need to treat me like a full teammate and that included the locker room. And then he told them he wasn’t afraid to shower with me-”

Benji sat up. “Wait. Back up. Shower?”

Victor propped himself up a bit and looked at Benji. “Yeah. He called them out on not being able to shower around me. And then he undressed in front of them and marched into the shower. He got the others to follow. And we ended up showering as a team.”

Benji looked down at Victor in disbelief. “Andrew did that?”

Victor nodded. “Yeah. It was _weird_. But, he really supported me.”

Benji was silent. He knew that Andrew was working on being a better person. Apparently he had meant it.

Victor continued. “So by the end, most of the guys started talking to me. We all left together.”

Benji sat up and looked down at Victor with a small smile. “I’m glad Victor. Hopefully with Zack gone that will help.” he paused. And Victor looked up at him.

“What is it?” he asked.

Benji looked back and grinned. “I’m just upset that you showered with Andrew and not me.”

Victor laughed. “Well, I was looking at the ceiling the entire time and I didn’t even really wash my hair or use soap because I was so nervous and just wanted to get out of there.”

Benji perked up and Victor realized what he had said. He started to feel himself flush with excitement and decided to go for it.

“Actually, if you wouldn’t mind helping me, this bruise makes it hard to raise my arms.” It was a partial lie. Victor could probably do it, but it would hurt a lot and he might not be able to reach his back or side. But he didn’t really NEED Benji’s help. He wanted it.

Benji looked at the clock and grinned. It was just past 9:30pm.

“I thought your hair felt a bit greasy. We probably ought to wash it again.” he said.

Victor sat up and let Benji lead him by the hand to the bathroom.

Standing by the sink, Victor removed his gym shorts and stood in a pair of red plaid boxers opposite Benji. 

He looked at Benji. Neither one of them had seen the other fully naked.

“Ready?” Benji asked. And Victor noticed the shift in tone. He wanted to make sure Victor really was comfortable with this. Victor flashed back to their date on Saturday and the privacy Benji had given him while he changed into a swimsuit that Benji had bought him so he wouldn’t have to swim naked. It seemed like a lifetime ago already. So much had happened. But yes, Victor trusted Benji completely and fully. He knew that for sure now. He thought he might even love him now. But he wanted to wait for the right moment to tell Benji that. And that was not tonight while his boyfriend was nursing him back to health.

He nodded. He hooked his fingers around the fabric of his boxers and Benji did the same. Both boys let the garments fall to the floor and stepped out of them. Benji slid the shower door open and turned on the water. He stepped in slowly and waited for the water to warm. Then he stepped back and helped Victor in.

Immediately the two began to kiss, Victor held Benji tight by the shoulders as The warm water cascaded down on them, soothing Victor’s injured ribs. They continued to kiss as Benji leaned against the shower wall for support.

Benji reached for the soap and began to lather up Victor’s skin as they proceeded to kiss. Victor moaned as Benji rubbed his shoulders, arms, chest, and winced as he gently touched his ribs and back area. He felt the warm water pour down on him, washing the soap into a small pool of suds at their feet.

Victor could feel the steam coming from the shower head and his breathing eased a bit even as it became a bit hard to see Benji for a few moments through the fog the hot water created. But that was okay. Benji was still holding tight to him, guiding him through the water as they stood in the shower.

They pulled apart as Benji reached for the shampoo. He poured a dime size amount in his hand and motioned for Victor to come closer. He rubbed the shampoo gently through the other boy’s hair. Victor turned so his back was now against Benji’s chest as he allowed the shampoo to run down it. Benji continued to hold him steady, making sure the soap was off. Victor leaned his head back against Benji’s shoulders and felt the water run down his front, soothing the pain in his side.

Benji held Victor tight around his upper chest, carefully avoiding his ribs as he kissed the side of his neck. Victor let out a moan of pleasure. Benji’s touch sent electricity surging through his body, dulling the pain he felt in his ribs as he felt the steam rising.

Victor turned around, grabbed the shampoo and motioned for Benji to turn. Once his back was to Victor, Victor massaged the liquid throughout Benji’s perfect hair, taking the time to make it stick up in awkward and funny shapes and laughing at the results. Benji turned around, his hair stuck up in a soapy mohawk and looked at Victor. His boyfriend was grinning back at him and Benji laughed. He moved back a few inches and closed his eyes as he let the warm water from the shower head rinse the shampoo out of his hair and flatten it back down.

Then he stepped forward again, took Victor in his arms and kissed him as the shower continued to fill with steam.

****

Armando returned home later than expected. It was nearly 1am by the time he opened the door to the apartment. He entered quietly, aware there was an extra guest sleeping in the living room. As Armando made his way to his own bedroom, he could see the empty sofa bed. It had been freshly made but not slept in.

Concerned, Armando walked back to Victor’s door and gently knocked. When there was no answer, he turned the handle and to his surprise, the door was unlocked. He carefully opened the door and peered in.

Victor’s room was a bit of a mess. There were textbooks and notebooks strewn about with his bags, uniform, and other clothes. The bedroom light, he noted, was still on. But what really caught his eye were the two figures on the bed.

His son lay asleep in bed wrapped in a bath towel. Beside him, also in a towel was Benji. Armando’s eyes followed Benji’s hands and saw that they had an ice pack pressed onto Victor’s ribs. Even in the dull light, Armando could see the size and color of the bruise on his son's torso.

He wanted to be mad that Benji was in a towel and in Victor’s bed. But he could also see from the bruise how much pain his son must have been in. And he could tell from how Benji had positioned himself that he had not meant to fall asleep. Clearly both boys were just exhausted from the day’s events and passed out. While it was a bit disturbing that both were in towels, there didn’t seem to be anything else that had occurred. But honestly, this was all so new to him. How could he even tell? Was he supposed to look around for evidence? His son was older now and there were certain boundaries he was unwilling to cross.

Armando sighed and flipped off the light switch, closing the door as quietly as possible. Then he walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

It was partly his fault that he had allowed this to happen. And in truth, what exactly had happened? He would wait for his son to fill in the details. Victor had already proven that he deserved to be heard before he could rush to judgment. Armando had made that mistake too many times already and it had always blown up in his face.

And he wondered if a part of this was his own discomfort. Sure, he would NOT have been happy to find Mia in bed with Victor had they still been dating and a talk would have followed- and it _definitely_ would tomorrow morning. But, there also seemed to be something less harmless about how Benji was laying there and it again made him wonder if anything bad had really happened. 

And then he thought about it more. Victor was sixteen years old. And if he was sexually active, which he might be, they would have to address this. Sure, Armando had expected it to be more about warning him against accidentally getting a girl pregnant or preferably remaining abstinent, but these talks called for using protection. He grimaced. Another thing his religion frowned on. But he would rather have his son be safe than risk anything- not that he thought Benji was risky but…

He put his head in his hands. This was not the kind of thought he ever imagined having. This was just so confusing for him. He rubbed his face and decided he needed sleep. He would speak to his son and his boyfriend in the morning and figure out what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... 
> 
> Hopefully that makes up for hurting poor Victor?


	22. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looked over at Benji and groaned. Benji saw it too and his face paled. They were caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone so much for your feedback on the last chapter. As always, it is appreciated. 
> 
> We're continuing to move forward now as we see the impact of last night's game on the school.

Victor awoke still wearing a towel from the night before. Beside him, Benji was still asleep and also wearing a towel. Victor sat up and realized it was morning. He and Benji had fallen asleep on his bed after showering.

He cursed silently as he realized that his father would have surely seen the unslept in sofabed. There was no good way out of this. And he wasn’t going to lie to his father. He had worked too hard to build trust between them. He looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly time to get up. 

Victor grabbed his phone and saw that it had exploded with messages while he slept.

_ Felix: Hey man-just want to make sure you are doing okay. Here if you need anything. _

_ Mia: Victor, Great job last night. I’m so sorry about what happened and hope you are feeling better. Get some rest. Talk soon. _

_ Lake: Victor, please let me know you are OK! that was totally not right. I have it all on my phone just in case you need evidence. _

_ Andrew: Victor, checking to make sure you are OK. That looked like a bad bruise. You will be treated better from now on. Promise. _

_ Justin: Gurl, I just saw the footage! WTF? Tell me he didn’t hurt you badly!? Poor baby! Here if you want to talk. _

_ Kim: Victor, Simon showed us the game footage. I feel so awful and just want to hug you! Please, please let us know you are okay. Worried for you. _

_ Ivy: Victor, say the word and we’ll find this kid. Sending all my love. Take it easy this weekend and rest! _

_ Bram: Vic, you played a great game. What your team did was awful. Remember though that you have plenty of other friends who will ALWAYS support you. And that is a real team. I’ll see you soon. _

Victor continued to scroll. There were dozens of messages from Creekwood students offering support, condemning Zack’s behavior, and just generally hoping he was okay. 

_ No one deserves a hit like that!  _

_ Zack does not represent our school! _

_ Hope you are doing okay.  _

_ Sending healing thoughts! _

_ Could not believe what happened last night!  _

_ You are so amazing and we owe you for winning the game!  _

_ Those guys are jerks!  _

_ Any team would be lucky to have you! _

_ Please know that the team doesn’t represent the school.  _

_ Was in the crowd and we were appalled at what happened.  _

_ We stand with you! _

There were even messages from his team.

_ Tommy: Victor- Hope you are feeling okay. I got your back going forward. _

_ Mark: Sorry for being a dumbass to you this week. Zack does not represent us. We’ll be better. _

_ Jeff: We were jerks and I am better than that. You are a part of this team and I hope you stay and let us make it up to you. _

_ Kieran: FYI, hand is broken. No regrets tho. How is your side? Call or text me when you can. _

Then he read Simon’s DM.

Victor sighed and felt the pain in his ribs again. It was actually just a bit worse probably because, he figured, of the ice pack melting while he slept. He sent a quick message to Felix letting him know he was doing better and asked him to tell the others. He did the same with a quick group message to Justin, Ivy, Kim, and Bram. He decided he would message Simon separately after his meeting in Mr. Worth’s office. He’d probably need Simon’s advice then anyway. 

Finished with scrolling through his phone, Victor turned to Benji and gently shook him awake.

“Mmm?” Benji moaned as his eyes slowly opened. He saw Victor looking at him and smiled.  “Hey.” he said warmly.

And then his eyes went wide and he shot upright onto the bed.

“What time is it?!” he asked Victor.

Victor inclined his head toward the clock on his table and indicated the time. Benji smacked his hand across his head. “We-” he muttered.

“Yeah. We fell asleep. We better get up and get dressed or we’ll be late for the test.”

Victor winced as he slowly got up and moved to his dresser to retrieve his outfit for the day. Benji moved to help him, but Victor waved him off.

Benji dug into his bag and withdrew a clean t-shirt, a pair of socks, and a pair of black briefs. Ever since the ugly shirt, Benji now carried a small change of clothes with him. He picked his jeans up off the floor and retrieved his belt, quickly dressing as Victor finished and moved to tie his shoes. Benji retrieved his boots and pulled them on. Then he finished packing his bag and helped Victor pack his own so he wouldn’t injure his ribs.

Finished, the two decided to go out and face the music. Victor opened his door and realized that he had left it unlocked.

He looked over at Benji and groaned. Benji saw it too and his face paled. They were caught.

Victor looked out the doorway and saw his father had breakfast on the table. He had made pancakes and was reading the paper.

Victor walked down the hallway slowly and Benji walked behind him, both had their faces down.

“Papi-”

“Good Morning flaco. Benji. I hope you both slept well?” He said in a polite, but sarcastic tone. He knew. And they knew he knew.

“Papi, nothing happened-” Victor started to say.

His father held a hand up. “I know.”

Victor and Benji blinked.

“Well, I figured”, Armando admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “I went to check on you before bed. I saw you both had passed out. And I also saw your bruise Victor. How are you doing?”

Victor winced at the mention of it, feeling it stinging his ribs all over again.

“It still hurts pap. But I’ll be okay.”

Victor’s father lowered the paper and looked at both of them.

“I know that a lot happened yesterday. And mijo, I am so sorry I could not be there for you. Benji, I am grateful that you took such good care of my son. Truly.” He paused and Benji nodded, unsure what to say. 

Armando continued. “So, given the fact that you were taking care of Victor during a difficult time, I am willing,  **this one time only** , to chalk this up to an accident. It seems clear you meant to go to your own bed, but fell asleep by accident. I assume you didn’t set your alarm either Victor?”

Victor nodded. He had not.

Armando sighed. He didn’t want to know about the shower. He assumed they had just showered before bed and passed out. But he still needed to cover his bases. 

“Listen, I know you are both young and that kids in your school are sexually active-”

“We’re not papi!” Victor exclaimed. He turned to Benji and grabbed his hand. “We’re not ready. I’m not ready.”

Armando blew out a breath in relief. _He_ wasn’t ready either. “Okay. But when you  _ are _ , I need you to talk to me Victor. I need you both to use protection and  _ be smart _ .”

Victor nodded. He knew this was hard for his father and he was embarrassed to be caught. And he could tell from his boyfriend’s body language that while Victor was embarrassed, Benji was absolutely mortified. Fortunately, Armando seemed to want to get past this awkward conversation as much as the boys.

“Okay. That’s settled then. Now, eat your breakfast.” Armando said, gesturing to the pancakes and syrup.

Victor nodded and he motioned Benji to sit as they quickly dug in.

“Oh. One more thing flaco.” Armando said, turning to his son. “ _ You _ get to tell your mother. Before you leave for school.”

Victor nearly choked on his pancake.

“Y-yessir.” he said. And suddenly he lost his appetite. 

****

After finishing his breakfast, Victor and Benji quickly went down to his mother’s apartment and did as his father asked. Benji stood silent the entire time, just nodding his head as she spoke and making a mental note to ask Victor what she was saying when she switched to Spanish at one point. She was not quite as forgiving as Victor’s father, but after the initial shaming (of which there was plenty that made Benji turn every shade of red possible) and the  _ very _ long and detailed talk about sex and using protection, she ended up letting Victor and Benji leave so they wouldn’t be late for school. Victor prayed that this would be the end of that conversation forever. He highly doubted that he’d be that fortunate.

By the time they arrived, Victor and Benji had to almost break into a run to make it to their math exam on time. This, of course, was not easy for a person with bruised ribs so Benji kept pausing to make sure Victor was okay. It was just Victor’s luck that due to Creekwood’s rotating schedule, Math was the first class on Friday mornings as opposed to the last class like on Mondays. Their teacher was just starting to hand out the exam as they passed through the door and took a seat at the first empty desk each could find.

“You have the entire class period to complete this. If you’ve been keeping up with your homework, this shouldn’t be too hard. Good luck.”

Victor looked at the paper and started to read through the first question. Immediately, his mind went to Benji teaching him and he remembered the steps he had struggled with. He moved to his scrap paper and proceeded to solve the equation. Then he moved on to the next one and the next one. All the while, he remembered Benji’s sexy dance and found himself tapping his foot to the beat of the music.

It took Benji a half hour to complete the test. It helped that as he was taking it, he remembered tutoring Victor as his boyfriend sat against him in his plaid blue boxers and repeated his understanding of the concepts back to him. Benji was confident that the answers were correct but he took a bit more time to check his math. Satisfied, he stood up and placed the test on the teacher’s desk. Then he went back to his seat and pulled out a piece of blank paper. Benji started drawing, and as usual of late, he found himself drawing Victor. He continued to sketch away as the others started to hand in their exam.

About fifteen minutes before class ended, Victor stood up and walked past Benji’s desk, he could see Benji drawing and he smiled at his boyfriend, giving him a thumbs up. Benji grinned back and Victor handed the test into his teacher.

The older man looked up at him. “Thank you Victor. I was told to send you straight to see Ms. Albright when you finished. You can take your things and head there now.”

Victor nodded. “Yes sir.” 

He returned back to his seat and gathered up his pencil and calculator and placed them in his bag. With a small wave to Benji, Victor walked to the front of the room and out the door.

****

Armando and Isabel were already waiting for their son when he entered Mr. Worth’s office. Clearly wanting to look professional for the meeting, Mr. Worth was wearing a solid black suit with crisp white shirt and red tie. He had his PRIDE pin on his lapel as usual. Ms. Albright, dressed in a simple charcoal grey suit, and Mr. Harris, dressed in his usual white shirt, grey vest and black pants, also had already arrived. 

And, though Victor should not have been surprised but he was, Coach Ford, wearing a blue shirt and black tie with black pants, a far cry from his usual polo and shorts combination, was also in attendance along with a woman he had not yet met. 

She was older than the others, with blonde hair that seemed almost white. It went down to her neck and flowed out slightly. When she was younger, she was probably stunning with long hair. Her face was thin but marked with wrinkles around her forehead and eyes and there were laugh lines around her mouth. She wore a simple navy suit and an orange patterned scarf around her neck. She had a gold bracelet around her left wrist and a ring on her finger. 

Everyone was in Mr. Worth’s sitting area waiting for Victor it seemed.

“Victor. How’d your math test go?” Mr. Worth asked, trying to make some light conversation.

Victor smiled. “Actually sir, I think I did really well.”

Mr. Worth smiled as well. “That’s great. Good for you!”

Mr. Worth motioned to the woman Victor did not know. “This is Shirley Brown. She’s the school’s legal counsel.”

Victor waved to her and she smiled. “Nice to meet you Victor.” 

Isabel and Aramando stood up and smiled at their son. Victor made his way to his parents and sat between them on the couch. Mr. Worth and Mr. Harris sat in the chairs opposite and Ms. Albright sat in a chair between Mr. Worth and Isabel. Coach Ford meanwhile sat in a chair directly opposite Ms. Albright between Mr. Harris and Armando. Shirley sat in a chair to the side of Ms. Albright, by the window and away from the rest of the group. As Victor sat, all eyes turned on him.

“Victor, Mr. and Mrs. Salazar, to start with, I want to apologize for what happened yesterday at the game.” Coach Ford said, clearly nervous and embarrassed. “As the coach of the basketball team, I take full responsibility for what happened.”

Victor saw his parents nod. His mother rather emphatically nodded her head- she did hold Coach Ford responsible. Victor however had no interest in throwing Coach Ford under any bus.

“With respect Coach, I don’t think there was anything you could have done. I should have spoken up sooner.”

Mr. Worth cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him. “Well Victor, you are correct about speaking up." he said softly. "After the game, Ms. Albright, Coach Ford, and I spoke to Kieran. He told us how the other players had behaved during practice this week. We spoke to several of the boys this morning and they admitted to treating you poorly during practice and in the locker room.”

Ms. Albright looked at Victor and he could tell she was disappointed. “Victor, you had promised to come to me if something happened. Why didn’t you tell me you were having trouble? Or Coach Ford? Or Mr. Harris?”

Victor’s face fell. He felt terrible that he had let Ms. Albright down. He slowly shrugged, clearly ashamed. “Honestly, it wasn’t anything bad. They were just ignoring me and I wanted to give them time to process everything. I never expected Zack to act the way he did.”

Mr. Worth frowned. “It was a surprise. Especially since so many of your classmates, including Andrew, have been attending the LGBTQ & Allies meetings this week.”

Victor blinked. He realized now that this was where Andrew had gone to and why he had left practice early.

Mr. Harris spoke up. “Victor, from our conversations, I know that there have been some struggles, but nothing you said made me fear for your safety. Frankly, I’m concerned after what Zack did. I need you to tell us: has anyone else threatened you or made you feel unsafe?”

Victor looked at his parents and saw that they too were looking at him with concern. He turned to look at everyone as he replied. “Honestly everyone, I had  _ no idea _ that Zack was that upset with me. He and a few other players just didn’t pass me the ball at practice and they ignored me in the locker room. But after what happened, Andrew stood up for me. And the team is coming around. I just don’t want to make this any worse than it is. It’s really not a big deal.”

Victor saw Ms. Albright’s eyes go wide and knew he’d made a mistake. She spoke up, her tone gentle but also firm. 

“No Victor, I’m afraid it is a _very_ big deal. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but the footage of Zack’s assault on you went viral. And after reviewing it, we have no choice but to expel him.”

Victor’s jaw dropped. “But Ms. Albright, it wasn’t that bad-”

Armando turned to his son. “Victor, I saw your bruise. He could have cracked your ribs.”

He needed his son to understand that this was an assault. His mother looked at him and nodded. She had seen the bruise after it had happened as well. And she had seen the footage after forcing Pilar to show her. She had spent most of the night crying in her bedroom. She willed herself not to do so again.

“Victor,” Shirley said carefully as his attention turned toward her, “Zack attacked you for being gay. That is a hate crime.”

Mr. Worth nodded. “And Creekwood has a zero tolerance policy for violence.”

Victor panicked. “What about Kieran?”

Mr. Worth sighed. “Kieran is suspended from school for one week. He won’t be playing basketball for the rest of the season.”

Victor’s face fell. “All he did was defend me.” he protested.

Coach Ford looked at Victor and he could see the man was torn up. “Victor, Kieran still assaulted a student. I can’t let that stand. I’m sorry, but he’s off the team for the rest of the year.”

“Of course, he couldn’t play anyway.” Ms. Albright reminded him, “It’ll take weeks for his hand to heal and we’re nearly through the season.”

Victor realized what she was saying. Kieran was actually getting a slap on the wrist. He couldn’t play anyway so what did it matter if he wasn’t technically on the team for the rest of the season. But the school could still claim they were enforcing their policies if someone tried to push back. Still, that wasn't really fair to Kieran. He had been the only other one to defend Victor.

Mr. Worth looked at the Salazars and continued. “Because this happened in full view of the public, the school had no choice but to contact the police. Which is why Shirley, as our legal counsel, is here.” 

Shirley spoke up again. “The District Attorney has informed me that Zack is being charged with a hate crime under the governor’s new law. It’s up to you if you wish to also bring civil charges or not.”

“I don’t! And I don’t want him to be charged at all!” Victor exclaimed. He  _ absolutely _ did not want Zack to suffer any more. He didn’t want any of this.

“Are you sure mijo?” Isabel said, looking down at her so with concern. “Are you afraid of him or what someone else might do?”

Victor could see that everyone else had the same question.

He shook his head. “No mami. I just don’t want to ruin his life.”

Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright exchanged a look but Mr. Harris sat up.

“Victor, I understand where you are coming from. But we need to consider whether you are actually helping Zack by letting him get away with this behavior.” 

Shirley concurred. “Victor, a judge might order Zack to anger management or therapy.”

“Or they might jail him.” Victor pointed out.

“That’s highly unlikely for something like this. The law is very new and Zack is a minor.” the lawyer admitted.

“If you were to agree to drop any civil charges provided Zack sought anger management and he agreed not to press charges against Kieran for assaulting him, I think the district attorney would allow Zack to plead down to a year’s probation and possibly a small fine.” Shirley supplied.

Victor understood what the school’s counsel was saying. She was trying to give Victor an out. But he hated it. He hated that his life had come to this. 

“Okay ma’am. Let’s do that. I just want Zack to be given a fair shot. And I don’t want Kieran to be punished for defending me. I don’t want anyone to suffer.”

Shirley nodded. She turned to Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright. “I’ll speak with Zack’s lawyer and the DA right away.”

Lawyers. This is what Victor’s life had become in the course of a week. He was sitting in a room discussing hate crimes and legal action against his own teammate. 

He sighed. He wished Benji were there. He just wanted to escape. He wished someone would just rescue him.

A brief knock at Mr. Worth’s door gave him the respite Victor so desperately craved.

“Yes?” Mr. Worth called.

The door opened and his secretary popped in. 

“I’m so sorry to disturb you Principal Worth, but I have two gentlemen who asked to see you and you left standing orders to always notify you if they should come to the office.”

Mr. Worth’s eyes expanded as a smile came to his face. Then he quickly composed himself and nodded. “Um...Ask them for five minutes.”

She nodded and closed the door. Mr. Worth looked at the others gathered around and stood up.

“Victor, Mr. and Mrs. Salazar, I want to again apologize for what happened. Please know that Creekwood does not condone what has happened and we will do everything we can to keep Victor safe.”

Victor’s mother shook the man’s hand hard and Mr. Worth winced a little. “I’ll hold you to that sir.” she said, her voice as firm as steel.

Armando also shook the man’s hand firmly and added. “Likewise.”

Mr. Worth nodded, knowing that he did not want to have the Salazar back in his office.

Mr. Harris stood up and looked at Victor. “Victor, I’d like to keep up our daily sessions for the rest of this month if that’s okay. And please, if you need anything, remember to reach out to me or Ms. Albright okay?”

Victor nodded. “I will sir. Thank you.”

Coach Ford stood up awkwardly and rubbed his hand behind his head trying to think of what to say. “Victor, I am sorry. I should have done more-”

Victor cut him off. “Coach, I really don’t think anyone saw this coming.” he smiled and said. “I’ll see you Tuesday at practice.”

Coach Ford smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “You bet. Get some rest. I’ll see you Tuesday.” he started to walk toward the door and paused. “Oh. And you’re excused from gym next week. I need you healthy.” He smiled again, then turned serious and nodded to Victor’s parents.

Shirley nodded to Victor and his parents and quietly made her exit.

Mr. Worth followed them out the door and Victor turned to see who it was that had captured his attention.

“Hey _hey!_ It’s BRIMON!” Mr. Worth shouted in the hall outside his office.

Victor saw them. Wearing a red hoodie over a green striped shirt, a pair of dark jeans and sneakers, Simon Spier was standing next to Bram Greenfeld. Bram wore a navy dry fit jacket with a black t-shirt, a dark pair of brown pants and sneakers. They stood in the office waiting room looking at Mr. Worth with a frown. Simon was shaking his head no. and Bram vocalized it. “No dude. Just... no.”

“No?” Mr. Worth repeated, his head also shaking. He waved his hand as if batting the idea away. “Yeah, _yeah_... Of course... _No_. What _was_ I thinking?! Haha! We’ll uh… we’ll work on another name.”

“Or  _ no _ name.” Simon helpfully supplied. 

Mr. Worth nodded again. “Yeah. _Yeah_. Definitely uh... Well, anyway, what brings you two back to your old  _ stomping _ grounds?” he asked, playfully air punching in the direction of both young men.

Already used to four years of this behavior, Simon just waited for him to stop and then inclined his head in Victor’s direction. “We were hoping to take Victor out for a bit.” he saw Victor’s parents and looked at them. “That is, if his parents and you are OK with it Mr. Worth.”

Simon walked past Mr. Worth and extended his hand to Victor’s parents. 

“Hi, I’m Simon Spier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. 
> 
> I did kind of hint about this at the end of Chapter 20 by how Simon reacted and how he looked at Bram, but it seems like no one picked up on it. So hopefully, this was a bit of a surprise.


	23. Big Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon and Bram have arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after much thought, I am going to wrap this story by the end of this week. I will then start a new Season 3 that continues dangling plot lines here and helps to incorporate your many wonderful suggestions. I want to thank you all for your continued feedback as it has been incredibly encouraging and has definitely motivated me to continue seeing this story through to a proper conclusion before starting the next one.

Isabel and Armando looked at him. Of course they had seen the photos and heard the stories. But here he was:  _ the _ Simon Spier. The young man who had helped their son come to terms with who he was. The one who was able to help Victor truly find happiness. The one whose parents had helped them understand better what was going on with their son's life. And there beside him was Bram, the boyfriend they had also heard so much about. The one who had taken care of Victor when he visited in New York and helped support and encourage him to come out to his friends and family.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Isabel said, shaking his hand quickly. She resisted the urge to hug the boy.

“Good to meet you.” Armando said, shaking his hand firmly. “I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for Victor.”

Simon smiled and moved to introduce Bram.

“And we know all about you as well.” Isabel said, shaking Bram’s hand and Aramando did the same. "Thank you for taking such good care of Victor when he visited."

Bram smiled, a bit more nervously than Simon. 

“Simon, Bram.” Ms. Albright said.

Simon waved. “Hey Ms. Albright.”

“Oh no. Nuh uh. You don’t ‘Hey Ms. Albright’ me. Get over here.” she said with her hands on her hips.

Simon walked over and she quickly hugged him. Then she did the same with Bram.

“How are you?” she asked, “How’s school going? How is my old city? Have you seen any good shows lately?”

“I don’t think anything can top Cabaret.” Simon joked.

Ms. Albright rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Don’t remind me. I should have just made  _ you _ the lead.”

“I can’t sing.” Simon reminded her.

“Neither could the lead.” she quipped. Victor noticed she didn’t say the name, but he knew because he had seen an old video of it. It was Martin, the kid who had outed Simon.

Simon also seemed to pause slightly at the memory but moved forward. He turned back to Mr. Worth and Victor’s parents.

“Bram and I were hoping we could get Victor an excused absence for the rest of the day- if that is okay with your parents.”

Isabel looked at Armando and he nodded. Victor had already taken his exam and it might be good to get a break after the events of last night.

Isabel turned to Mr. Worth and Ms. Albright. “We’re alright with Simon and Bram taking Victor off school grounds. They have our permission.”

Mr. Worth seemed to be on the fence. “I don’t know Simon my man, this is a bit unorthodox even with a parent’s approval-”

Ms. Albright crossed her arms and looked at him. She kept staring at him until he blinked.

“Okay.” he said, giving in. He pointed at the two of them “But you two are responsible if anything happens. Agreed?” he said, looking from Simon to Bram.

“You don’t have to worry sir. We’re not going far.” Simon assured him.

“Actually, we’d like to walk around the school grounds for a bit first.” Bram added.

Mr. Worth nodded. “You’ll need a visitor’s pass. I’ll go get you one. Be right back.”

He excused himself as Victor’s parents turned to him.

“Mijo, your mother and I need to get going to work. But if you need anything, call us okay?” his father said, placing a hand gently on his left shoulder to avoid any extra weight on his right side.

“Okay papi. Thank you. I’ll see you both later.” he promised.

“Have a good time amor.” Isabel said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. They waved to Simon and Bram and then left the office.

Simon turned to Victor. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice warm, but full of the same concern he had shown Victor the night they finally met outside Messy Boots. That night when Victor had been so distraught at the thought that Simon had betrayed his trust. And now? Now he knew that he could trust Simon with anything and that Simon (and Bram) would always be there for him.

Victor smiled. “I’m doing better. Just a bit bruised.” he turned to them. “What are you both doing here?” he asked.

Simon’s smile faded. “We saw the video-”

“And we decided to come back early since our classes were done.” Bram added. “We managed to get a red-eye early this morning.”

Victor was stunned.

“What about the others?” he asked.

“They’re coming next week. They still have work.” Bram answered.

“So it’s just us.” Simon said with a shrug. 

Victor smiled warmly. He couldn’t believe they had come all this way for him. It was the second time in a week that Simon and his friends had shown up for him.

Mr. Worth returned and handed a guest pass to Simon and Bram to wear. 

“Okay, you’re all set. Victor, I’ll let your teachers know. If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Thanks Mr. Worth.” Simon said. 

Mr. Worth smiled and shot some air guns his way. “I got you.” he said. And then realized how awkward it sounded. “I mean-”

“We get it.” Bram said, desperate to end the conversation and get out of the office. He steered Simon by the shoulder toward the door and Victor hurried to follow.

****

As they walked through the halls, Victor could see the heads of students turning and the whispers among his classmates. He even saw the cell phones coming out. Simon seemed nervous, doing his best to ignore it aside from a few friendly waves. Bram on the other hand at least smiled at the students and greeted a few. He clearly seemed to enjoy the notoriety a bit more than his boyfriend. Victor just did his best to go with it.

He saw Simon slow his pace and did the same as Nora ran up to her brother for a hug.

“You jerk! You didn’t tell me you were coming early!” Nora exclaimed.

“Hey, you were already asleep when we called mom and dad.” Simon replied.

“Still! It’s good to see you.” she said. She turned and gave Bram a hug as well. “Hi Bram. You owe me five bucks.”

Bram rolled his eyes and withdrew a five dollar bill from his wallet. Victor looked at them, puzzled.

Bram turned to answer. “We had a bet that whoever got to meet Benji first would get five dollars.” 

Nora nodded. “And Justin, Ivy, and Kim owe me as well. Suckers.”

Victor laughed and immediately winced as he felt his bruised ribs.

Instantly Simon spun around to face him, his expression full of concern. “Victor?”

Bram moved to support his left side and Nora looked at him with worry as well.

Victor waved them off. “I’m okay...It’s just a bad bruise.” he promised.

Victor saw that Simon’s eyes were full of the same fire he’d seen in Benji’s eyes the night before. He could see that Simon was incredibly angry about what had happened. But Victor really didn’t want to think about that. Instead, he turned to the others.

“Well, if you want to meet Benji and the others, lunch is in fifteen minutes.”

Bram looked at Simon. “Good old Creekwood cafeteria food.” he joked.

“Don’t miss that.” Simon answered. But he nodded. “Sure Victor. We can do that. And then after, we’ll get out of here. Bram and I would like to take you somewhere if you’re okay with a little trip?”

Bram looked at Victor nervously “And it’s okay if you aren’t.”

Simon nodded. “Don’t push yourself.”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Guys, please, PLEASE don’t treat me with any more pity! I can’t take it! Just treat me like a  _ normal _ sixteen year old kid! Please!”

Simon blinked in surprise at the outburst and looked at Bram, who exchanged a nervous glance with his boyfriend. Simon rested a hand on Victor’s left shoulder and squeezed.

“Victor,  _ we get it _ . Really. We’ve been on the receiving end of the pity parade too. But you have to understand because of that, when we see something as serious as what happened last night, we  _ are _ going to treat you more gently. And for us, it’s not pity. It’s concern and its love. Because we care about you. Because you need it right now. ”

“You won’t always need a gentle touch.” Bram added. “But right now, just trust us, please.”

Nora draped an arm around Bram’s shoulder and looked at Victor. “Let them take care of you.” she pleaded.

Victor nodded. “Look, I know you guys mean well. And I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’m just so upset right now. I just feel like I’m in a glass cage and everyone is watching me.”

Simon nodded and he squeezed Victor’s left shoulder warmly. “We get it. We really do. And that’s why we came. To help. So this is us asking you to let us help.”

Victor looked at Simon. A man who had become the big brother he had never had. And then to Bram, equally another big brother figure. Two friends who had taken time from their lives to fly down in the middle of the night just for him. How could he not trust them after all they had done for him?

Victor nodded. “Okay Simon. You win. I’ll let you in.” he said with a shrug.

Simon looked at Victor seriously. He wasn’t smiling or upset. He was just the concerned older brother. He carefully put his arm around Victor and pulled him to his side, mindful of the bruised ribs, while Bram took care of him from the other side.

“Alright Victor, introduce us to everyone.” Simon said.

****

Benji saw them first. He had been nervously waiting for any update on how the meeting had gone so he had stayed outside of the cafeteria hoping Victor would come straight to lunch. When he saw Victor flanked on either side, he recognized the two men immediately and his jaw almost dropped. Simon and Bram were in Creekwood and they had Victor between them. Victor was chatting with them and then stopped as he saw Benji up ahead. He smiled and Benji saw the other men’s heads follow Victor’s line of sight. 

“Benji!” Bram shouted loud enough for anyone in the hall to hear. Benji flinched from the sound. He hadn’t expected that greeting.

Bram removed his arm from Victor and quickened his pace to shake Benji’s hand and give him a big hug.

“So good to finally meet you man!” Bram exclaimed.

Benji nodded. “Uh yeah. You too Bram.”

Bram smiled and Benji saw that Nora was behind them. She flashed Bram a look and Benji saw Bram roll his eyes. From Benji’s own interactions with Pilar and Adrian, he recognized the sibling bond that Bram and Nora had formed.

Simon continued supporting Victor as he guided him to Benji. He waited until Victor hugged Benji and gave him a kiss before formally introducing himself.

“Hey Benji. I’m Simon. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Simon said, extending his hand. Benji took it and shook it firmly. It felt like he was seeking the approval of another member of Victor’s family. 

“Likewise sir.” Benji said. And then he saw Simon’s face.

“Just Simon okay?” he said with a smile. He patted Benji on the shoulder.

Benji nodded. Benji draped his right arm around Victor so that Victor’s left side was pressed close to Benji. He held him in safe embrace to his side, letting Victor know that he was there for him.

Benji looked at Simon, “I thought you weren’t coming until next weekend.”

Simon shrugged. “We weren’t. But-”

Benji understood.  _ Victor _ was why they were here.

“They’re gonna join us for lunch. They wanted to meet everyone.” Victor explained.

Benji looked at Bram and Simon.

“Really?” he asked.

“Oh sure.” Bram said, “We  _ really _ missed the cafeteria food.”

Nora hit him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, New York food just isn’t on the same level as the fish sticks here.” Simon joked. He shrugged his shoulders.

Benji snorted. “Okay then. Well then let’s get in line. The others are outside on the patio.”

****

Felix was the first to see the group approaching. As they drew closer, Victor’s best friend could see the crowds of students watching and murmuring. He turned to Lake and Mia.

“Who is that with Victor and Benji?” he asked.

Lake looked over and her jaw dropped. “ _THAT_ is Creekwood royalty! That’s Simon Spier and Bram Greenfeld.”

Andrew craned his neck to better look at the legends of Creekwood.

“Oooh…” Felix said as he connected the infamous photos and video of Creekwood’s most famous gay couple to the two young men escorting Victor and Benji to their table. Felix saw that Nora was close by, chatting with Bram.

Victor approached carefully and Andrew could see he was still hurting from the game. His eyes darted down to his lunch, unable to look Victor in the eye at that moment.

“Hey everyone. This is Simon and Bram. They wanted to join us for lunch.”

“Hey guys.” Bram waved. 

Simon waved as well. “Hi everyone.”

Victor took a moment to introduce his friends as they each waved. He spotted Pilar walking with her lunch and waved her over. As she got closer, she too recognized the pair who had been so kind to her brother.

“Simon, Bram, this is my sister Pilar.” Victor introduced.

Pilar set her lunch down on the table and hugged Simon so quickly it nearly caused him to drop his own lunch in the process.

“Thank you for helping my brother.” she said as she pulled away and smiled at Simon.

Simon seemed taken aback at first, but he put his free hand around her back and smiled.

“We should eat before lunch ends.” Benji said, getting Pilar to release her hold on Simon. Bram, who had already set his lunch down, moved to hug Pilar and introduced himself as well. And then they were all sitting down for lunch.

“Looks like not much has changed since we graduated.” Bram observed.

“Same quality food.” Simon replied, setting down his barely eaten lunch and making it clear he was done.

Felix furrowed his brow. “I for one think the food is very good.”

“Felix” Bram said, “You need to come visit us in New York. You wouldn’t believe the food there.”

Lake elbowed her boyfriend. “And think of the shopping.” Felix felt his face fall as he realized Lake was already making plans for a New York excursion. 

Simon flashed Felix a wordless look, letting him know that he felt his pain and then smiled.

“So Victor was messaging you since he came to Creekwood?” Mia asked. She had only heard part of this story but she wanted to hear Simon’s side.

Simon looked at Victor for permission to share. He had no intention of breaking his confidence after what had happened the last time. Victor met Simon’s gaze and nodded.

“Pretty much. Early on, Victor was trying to figure himself out. My friends and I did our best to provide support as he discovered that for himself.”

“I’d say he did that.” Andrew said. He looked at Victor and smiled.

Victor smiled back. He was still trying to get used to this newer, nicer, and supportive Andrew.

Simon smiled as well.

“I’d agree. Everyone in New York is so proud of him. But you all have to understand that Victor spoke to us about how supportive all of you have been. And really, without you, Victor would not be doing as well as he has. So thank you for being good friends to him.” Simon said, his gaze moving around the table to lock eyes with everyone.

“Seriously guys. All of you are welcome to visit us in New York any time.” Bram added.

“Just- give us a few days warning though.” Simon added, looking at Victor and smiling.

Victor smiled back, blushing a little.

The group continued talking until lunch ended. 

As the bell rang, the group started to break up. Pilar and Nora said their goodbyes to their brothers and headed off to class. Lake promised Bram she would be in touch about an actual visit to New York over the summer. Felix seemed to warm to the idea as Simon explained some of the more geeky aspects of the city. Andrew and Mia slipped out quietly, waving goodbye to everyone and leaving Benji and Victor alone with Simon and Bram.

"Have fun. I spoke with Sarah and she saw the video." Benji said.

Victor paled. He didn't want to think about the video.

"She said to take the weekend and get some rest. And if you need more time off just let her know. She even gave me the weekend off. Paid vacation. I didn't think she even knew what that was." Benji said with a laugh. Victor smiled. 

Benji continued. "So I will work tonight but the rest of the weekend, I'm all yours."

Victor smiled. "I like the sound of that"

Benji laughed. He kissed Victor and headed off to class with everyone else. When they were alone, Victor looked at Simon and Bram.

“Okay. So, what’s next?”

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's next indeed...
> 
> I know many are sad Benji is not joining, but this next chapter is just Victor and his big brothers. But of course, Benji will still be involved in some way.


	24. Community

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon and Bram take Victor on a trip.  
> Victor comes to a major decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your feedback to the past chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.

Simon pulled the maroon Subaru Outback station wagon to the drive-through window and thanked the server for the drinks. He handed a drink to Bram and then another to Victor.

“Thanks.” Victor said.

He looked to Simon and Bram who were in the front seat. “So what are we doing?”

Bram looked at Simon. 

Simon turned his head to make sure traffic was clear and then merged onto the road before speaking.

“Well Victor, you kind of said it. Bram and I wanted to give you a day where you could just enjoy being a normal sixteen year old kid, away from all the drama that’s going on in Creekwood right now.”

“Which reminds me” Bram said turning back, “send any texts you want to send now but when we get there, you are handing me your phone. I’ll keep it safe, but this is a no stress afternoon okay?”

“And you control the time table. So if you are tired, or want to leave, just let us know.” Simon added.

“Okay.” Victor said. He sent a quick text to Benji letting him know he’d be out of reach for a bit and did the same for his parents- letting both know that Bram had his phone for emergencies and that he was fine but taking a needed break from technology. Then he handed the device to Bram.

Bram took it and tucked it inside his jacket. He then turned back to Victor.

“Benji seems like a great guy.” he said with a smile.

Simon, eyes still on the road, added. “Yeah Victor. I can tell how much he cares about you.”

Victor nodded. He fell silent as he began to think. He knew that he was safe in the car with his adopted big brothers and so he decided to just tell them what he had been thinking about for the past few days.

“I think I love him.” he admitted.

Bram’s eyes went wide and his smile was just as wide.

“Wow.” Simon said. Then he asked. “When did you know?”

Victor thought about it. There had been many times in the past week where he had considered it. There was their first date of course, where Benji had planned everything perfectly from the dinner to the swim to the song. Then there was his decision to confront Derek to protect Victor’s secret, followed by Benji staying to help clean up the ice cream mess that was mostly Victor’s fault. And then he had stayed for dinner and interacted with the whole family, slowly winning everyone over. 

And then, there was how supportive he had been when he came out to the school. How he had called Felix when Victor could not turn to him right away. How he had insisted on walking him home and then coming back the next morning to walk him to school. How he had tutored him all week in math and even practiced that wonderful, sexy dance. And then there was last night when he had spent his entire evening taking care of him after his injury. How he had gently iced his ribs, lifted his spirits and carefully showered him when Victor could not even lift his own arm without causing pain. And Benji had done all of that without a second thought. He was just that selfless, caring, and wonderfully kind.

“I think I’ve known all week. But every day, he’s just reinforced it.” Victor replied. “I’m sure. I know it now. I love him.”

Bram looked from Victor over to Simon. “Awww!” 

Simon smiled. “That’s great Victor. I’m so happy for you.”

Bram looked back at Victor, grinning. “So...when are you telling him?”

“Bram!” Simon exclaimed.

“Hey! I’m invested!” Bram said and Victor blushed.

Victor thought about it. “I want it to be special when I tell him.” Victor said.

Simon nodded his head, continuing to drive. “Okay. Do you have any ideas how to make it special?”

Victor was silent for a moment. “I think I have an idea. But I’m not sure how to do it.”

Bram grinned and looked at Simon. “Oh, I think we can help with that. Big declarations of love are our specialty.”

Simon chuckled. “Okay. You let us know what you’re thinking Victor and we’ll help any way we can. But for now, sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Victor nodded and sipped at his drink. It was nice to just sit and relax for a bit.

****

Simon pulled the car into a parking space a half hour later.

“Okay. Everyone out.” Simon said as he put the car in park and turned off the ignition.

Once they disembarked the car, Victor looked around the area and saw they were in a section of Atlanta that he had never been to. He could see various stores around and noticed that there were plenty of couples walking around. He could tell right away why Simon and Bram had brought him here. Most of the couples were of the same sex and holding hands.

“Victor, we talked all about New York and how great it is.” Simon said, draping an arm around Victor’s left shoulder. “But I realized that we never showed you how great parts of Atlanta can be.”

Bram gestured to the area. “Welcome to just one of the many gay friendly sections of Atlanta.” 

Simon gently guided Victor as they followed Bram through the area.

“You probably don’t know it Victor, but Atlanta is sometimes considered one of the gay capitals of the South.” Bram proudly said as they walked.

Victor frowned. It didn’t exactly seem that way to him. Simon saw the frown and squeezed his shoulder.

“The problem is, just like in New York, not every place is as welcoming. And not every person is as tolerant.” Simon said.

“So, given the fact that you are now out and proud, congrats by the way-” Bram said, “We wanted to show you just a few of the places where you can just be yourself with Benji.”

Victor continued to look at the various stores and shops as they walked the area. They saw various couples walking past and each one greeted them with a smile. Victor smiled back and waved.

They came to a stop and Simon looked Victor in the eye, still holding him around the shoulder. “You said you just wanted to be a normal kid.” He squeezed his shoulder. “Victor, what Bram and I want you to understand is that you  _ are _ normal. And here,  _ this _ is normal.”

Victor looked up at Simon and nodded. He understood. This was a place where he and Benji could escape to if they wished. But it still felt like an escape. Having to go to some special oasis.

Bram saw his smile falter and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Listen Victor, we get it. You shouldn’t feel like you have to go to a special place just to feel normal. And, with time, places like Creekwood will feel normal again. But all we want you to know is that there is a place for you right here in Atlanta. Several places. You don’t need to feel like you have to run to New York-”

“Although you’re always welcome” Simon said, squeezing his shoulder again.

“Of course” Bram chimed in, “But while you have a family and a community back in New York, we want you to know that you have one right here in Atlanta too- if you want it.”

Victor nodded. He understood. And as he looked around, he saw people of all ages and genders. He saw all colors of the rainbow: lesbian couples, gay couples, bisexual couples, transgender couples, and of course, heterosexual couples too. All going about their normal day and paying no special attention to three young gay men as they walked.

Simon looked at his watch. “I’m famished. I don’t know about you two, but the cafeteria food wasn’t quite the meal I was looking for. There’s a great restaurant up ahead I’d like to take you to Victor. Is that okay?”

Victor looked at Simon and Bram and he nodded. In truth, he was hungry as well.

“Alright then.” Simon said. He proceeded to continue walking, never letting go of Victor as Bram followed nearby.

“So about these plans for Benji-” Bram said in a conspiratorial tone.

****

It was just about 3pm when the three of them entered the restaurant. Because the lunch rush had ended and it wasn’t yet dinner, the place was fairly quiet.

The waiter approached them and as he saw Simon and Bram, his face lit up.

“Hey guys!” he said.

Bram waved and Simon smiled. “Hey Cal.” he said.

Simon turned to Victor. “Victor, this is Calvin Price. He went to Creekwood with Bram and me.”

Cal extended his hand and Victor took it, surprised by the firm handshake. “Victor, I saw your post on Creeksecrets. I was very impressed.”

Victor smiled. “Uh... Thank you. Are you-?”

“I’m bisexual.” Cal said with a smile. He looked at Bram and Simon. “I came out shortly after the Winter Carnival thanks in part to these guys.”

“Oh. Wow.” Victor said. He hadn’t heard about Calvin at all. All the stories he heard were about Simon and Bram.

Cal smiled at him and looked at Simon and Bram.

“The thing is Victor, when people share who they are with others and let them in, they can sometimes inspire others to do the same. That’s what Simon and Bram did for me. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what you’ve done for others with your post this week.” Cal explained.

Victor was silent. He hadn’t thought about it that way. But then he remembered what Lake had told him on Sunday about how he had helped her find Felix. It seemed that these small acts were like ripples in a pond. And by casting his stone, he’d created ripples that spread out further and further. Maybe Cal was right. Maybe he had inspired others. The thought made Victor smile. If he helped even one person live their truth like he was now doing, then it was all worth it.

Cal retrieved three menus from the station nearby. He turned back to Simon and Bram.

“Let me get you guys a table. We have some amazing specials for today as well.”

“Sounds great Cal. I’m starving.” Bram said.

Simon looked at him. “You ate your _entire_ lunch.”

Bram looked at him and shrugged. “So?”

“You also ate some of _Nora’s_.” he pointed out.

Bram draped an arm around his boyfriend. “I’m insatiable. Isn’t that what you love about me?” he said, kissing Simon on the lips. Simon closed his eyes and smirked as Bram pulled away.

“Real smooth. You’re still going for a run when we get home.” Simon retorted.

Bram grinned and turned to Victor. “My man likes me lean and muscular. Meanwhile, he’s a string bean with an appetite the size of a black hole.”

“That’s because I sweat all the weight off stressing about  _ you _ .” Simon quipped. Bram rolled his eyes. 

Victor smirked and Cal laughed as he motioned for the trio to follow. Simon again draped an arm around Victor and guided him to the table.

Cal sat them at a table near the window. Victor sat facing the window while Simon and Bram sat on either side of the table.

“Any drinks?” Cal asked, thinking he already knew the answer.

Simon shook his head. “You know I hate beer. Plus I’m driving. Bram?”

Bram waved him off. “I’m good too. I think just some water to start.”

“Real big spender there Bram.” Cal said with a smile.

Victor chuckled and winced as his ribs tingled. It was getting better but it still hurt.

He knew Simon saw it, but Victor waved him off. He was okay.

“I’ll give you guys some time to look at the menus and be right back.” Cal said.

****

Victor had never had a better lunch in his life. As they ate, Simon and Bram explained that this was a particular favorite for foodies. Bram freely admitted that since moving to New York, he considered himself a foodie and Simon did not disagree, earning him a playful punch from his boyfriend.

Throughout the meal, Bram and Simon asked Victor how things were going and how classes were. But mostly, they just let Victor talk about whatever he wanted to talk about and they listened.

Victor shared everything that had happened. The full details of his first date with Benji (Bram actually swooned as he talked), the help Benji had provided after his near outing by Derek and then the cleanup after Adrian’s ice cream accident. He explained how in such a short time, Benji had become his person. And he talked about his friends and the support they gave. He talked about how things with Pilar were slowly getting better. And he talked about the initial heartache he had with Adrian and how his younger brother had also come around to Benji.

And he talked about his parents and the struggle of their separation. He talked, for the first time fully, about coming out and the fallout. He even, with great difficulty, finally uttered the words that his classmates had spoken to him at Brasstown. Simon got up from his chair and hugged him. Victor suspected the hug would have been tighter if not for his injury. But Simon still held him for a good five minutes before letting go. And then Bram took over for another five minutes. There were no tears. Just caring, acceptance and love.

Victor talked about the struggles with the basketball team, the meetings with the school, and the legal mess that morning. But mostly, he just talked about Benji and how much he loved him.

“You know your eyes light up when you talk about Benji.” Simon pointed out as Victor again steered the conversation to his boyfriend.

“It’s true Vic. Your entire face brightens.” Bram added.

Victor blushed. He wasn’t surprised to hear that. His own parents seemed to notice.

Simon placed his hand on top of Bram’s and squeezed. “That’s a good thing Victor. It’s how you know that you’ve found someone you truly care about.”

Simon looked at his boyfriend and smiled. Bram smiled back and squeezed Simon’s hand. 

Bram looked at Victor.

“We can’t tell you how things will go. Your relationship is still too new. And there will be highs and lows. We’ve had plenty.”

Simon nodded. “But if you two work at it and you both feel the same way…”

“Then nothing on earth will be able to tear you two apart.” Bram finished as locked eyes with Simon.

****

They finished lunch and, at Bram’s begging, also dessert. While Victor had tried to pay, Simon and Bram had refused and insisted it was their treat. They thanked Cal and continued to walk the streets. 

They passed a park and walked through it. Victor observed the various couples going about and enjoying their day. Simon was right. It felt normal because it  _ was _ normal. Even though Benji wasn’t there, Victor felt safe as he walked through the park with Simon and Bram. The two older boys continued to hold hands and kissed at least once and yet, no one noticed or cared. It was a far cry from the way Victor felt at school.

The trio continued to walk around until it got dark. As the evening began, Simon and Bram decided to show Victor the night life. They went into a dance club and watched the drag show that was being held. Finished with work, Cal joined them, along with some of his friends. Much like Simon and Bram’s roommates, they were all different, friendly people. This time, Victor felt even less comfortable when other boys were hitting on him. He realized that was because he was with Benji and he felt like he was betraying Benji even by smiling at another boy. Luckily, Bram and Simon flanked him for much of the time, preventing too many men from trying to hit on him. Victor watched the drag performers and smiled as he danced along with Simon, Bram, Cal and his friends. A day that had started out so rocky ended up being one of the best of his life. More than anything, Victor reflected on how alive he felt over the past week. It was like he had emerged from a deep slumber and now was truly awake.

Around 10pm, the performers took an intermission and Simon and Bram said their goodbyes to Cal and his friends. The trio made their way back to Simon’s car.

“Alright Victor. How are you feeling?” Simon asked once they were all buckled in.

Victor smiled. “I feel great Simon. Just a bit tired.” He tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

Bram looked at him and smiled. "You had a big day. Why don’t you take a nap while we head back? We’ll wake you when we’re close.”

Victor nodded. He knew he was tired. It had been a great afternoon, but the day had taxed him. He lay back against the seat and closed his eyes.

****

Bram looked back at Simon as his boyfriend continued to drive.

“He’s out.” Bram informed him.

Simon nodded. “Good. Poor kid needs his rest.”

“How are you doing? I can drive the rest of the way if you want.” Bram said.

Simon shook his head. “I’m okay. Besides, you know I like to drive. Can’t do it in New York.”

Bram smiled at him. Of course he knew. He’d been in this very car many times when Simon had taken him on various drives together. For an older car, Simon’s Subaru held up pretty well.

“Were you able to make the call?” Simon asked.

Bram nodded. “Yup. They are all set for tomorrow night.” He looked back at Victor. “Who knew our little guy was such a romantic?”

“I knew.” Simon said with a grin.

Bram chuckled. “Well of course you did. He tells you everything.”

“Well, now you know too.” Simon pointed out.

“He’s been through a lot Si.” Bram said, his tone shifting. He was concerned.

“I know. But he’s strong. Stronger than we were.”

“Oh definitely. You remember what a coward I was right?” 

“You weren’t a coward. You’re the bravest man I know.” Simon replied.

“Oh sure. You say that now.” Bram teased.

“Well, yeah. Because you’ve gotten more comfortable. Just like me. Just like Cal. And just like Victor will.”

“You have a lot of faith in high school kids behaving Si.” 

“Don’t really have a choice. If I let myself think the worst of them, then I’d never stop worrying about him.”

“Guruing is hard.” Bram said.

Simon sighed. “It can be. Luckily I have you and the others.”

Bram smiled and leaned his head over the console and rested it briefly on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“You told his parents we were running late? Right?” Simon asked.

Bram lifted his head up. “Of course I did. You think I wanted to risk the wrath of a parent? Been there. Done that.”

Simon laughed. Bram had been on the receiving end of his mother’s wrath only once. But once with Emily Spier was all it took to never want it to happen again.

“Good. We’ll get him home and make sure he gets in okay and then we’ll head back and get some needed sleep ourselves.”

“Yeah. Big day tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow's chapter will be the final chapter of this 'Season'
> 
> I will then likely take a (badly needed) weekend break to write out a few more chapters of Season 3. The first chapter will be posted Monday.


	25. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor decides to tell Benji how he feels about him.  
> Armando and Isabel deal with a shocking situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, thank you all for your wonderful feedback and your immense support with this story. When I started writing out this "What if?" scenario, I never imagined that it would be received so well. Your comments on this story have truly touched me and I cannot thank you enough for that.
> 
> With that, I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

Victor awoke the next morning and smiled. Today was the day. 

Before they left, Bram had confirmed that everything was set. Victor had sent Benji a text inviting him to go out with Simon and Bram later tonight for a double date. Thanks to Sarah, Benji and Victor had a whole weekend free. And Victor knew that he wanted to tell Benji tonight: their one week anniversary.

Victor reflected on his week. Exactly seven days ago, he had awoken after telling his family that he was gay. And after a lot of awkward conversation and a lot of questions, life had moved on. His parents had separated but they continued to work on their marriage. His friends supported him, even those who were initially upset with him had started to come around. And with more time, he knew that his friendship with Mia would be stronger than ever.

Felix had continued to be a rock, showing up for Victor in his darkest times. And Lake and Andrew had surprised him with how supportive they had been. And learning that Andrew had even started attending alliance meetings had been a big surprise. Maybe now he could see why Mia felt the way she did for Andrew. She was right. Deep down, he was a decent guy. And if Andrew made Mia happy, then that was enough for Victor.

He wasn’t sure exactly where he stood with his sister, but he knew that things would continue to get better. He was forever thankful for Simon and his family. Nora seemed to help not just him but his sister as well. Pilar was acting more like the sister he had known back in Texas and she seemed to be happier. And part of that, Victor knew, was also Benji’s doing. Winning over not just Pilar but Adrian as well was impressive. And while Benji might think he still had a ways to go with his parents, Victor was pretty sure they approved of him too- even if his mother acted more reserved and his father acted tough.

Victor knew that this was right. It felt right to tell Benji how he felt about him. On the one hand, this was only their one week anniversary. On the other, Victor had slowly been falling in love with Benji for months. If he had learned anything in that time, it was that he could not afford to wait when it came to love. He knew he had to tell Benji how he felt about him lest he miss the moment.

He hoped Benji felt the same way. He was prepared if Benji didn’t say it back. He didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on him. But Victor had to tell him. It was as much for himself as it was for Benji. If Benji wasn’t comfortable saying it yet, that was okay.

He got up slowly and took a breath. The pain from his injury was nearly gone. Victor lifted his shirt and looked down. While the bruise was still there, it had faded and there was no longer any swelling. Victor could actually take a deep breath again. He held it and then exhaled. He was ready.

****

Benji again had _Call Me Maybe_ playing on a loop as he sat at his desk sketching. He shivered a little as the cool air hit his bare skin. He blamed Victor for this. A week of continually losing his shirt had now conditioned Benji to spend much of his time in his bedroom without one. He sat in just a pair of gym shorts as his bare feet tapped along with the music. He looked down at the drawing and smiled. He knew Victor would love it. And truthfully, it was probably his favorite sketch yet. He knew that today was his one week anniversary with Victor and he wanted to do something special- even if Victor wasn’t going to. 

Benji understood of course. Simon and Bram were only in town for a short time. And really, Victor and he had only dated for one week. Still, Benji was a romantic and to him, it had been an amazing week. At the same time, he knew how transformative the week had been for Victor and didn’t want to add any more pressure. And besides, it would be nice to go on an official double date with another gay couple. But did it have to be the most perfect gay couple ever?

Benji liked Bram and he thought Simon seemed nice. He knew how much Victor respected Simon so he was sure that was why he was so nervous around him. It was clear that Simon and Bram were Victor’s adopted older brothers and just like Pilar, they were protective of him. Yet as hard as winning the approval of Pilar and Adrian was, for some strange reason, Benji remained unconvinced that he could prove himself good enough for Victor in Simon’s eyes. Maybe that was silly. Maybe not. But Benji couldn’t help the way he felt. He hoped in time, he would feel like he had won Simon’s approval and would prove worthy of it.

He continued working on the sketch and smiled as he got to the eyes. In just a week’s time, he had found himself lost in those eyes. He decided he wanted to color them. This was a special moment after all. 

He looked over at his clock and saw that it was nearly noon. Simon and Bram were picking him up at 5pm. Lake would be over at 3pm. She had promised to help Benji pick out an appropriate outfit for their double date even though she was upset that she and Felix weren’t the first couple that Benji and Victor were going out with.

Seeing that he had time, Benji withdrew his paints and brushes from the drawer in his desk and he started to get to work. It would take time to do this right, but Benji was determined to finish his gift before Lake arrived. He spread out his supplies and got to work.

****

Armando had left to go grocery shopping around 1pm and Isabel had gone off to teach piano lessons earlier in the morning. So Victor spent much of the early afternoon with his siblings. Pilar was in a much better mood than Victor had seen in months. He noticed that she was once again texting on her phone, but this time it was to classmates in Creekwood. He was relieved that his sister had found her people even if it had taken some time.

Adrian was mostly quiet, just watching cartoons. He looked up at his older brother and asked. “Where’s Benji? He’s normally always with you.”

Victor smiled. It was true. Benji had been over every day that week it seemed. So naturally, Andrian would associate Victor’s presence in the apartment with Benji as well.

“I’m seeing Benji later.” Victor explained.

“Another date?” Adrian asked. Victor noticed that this time, his brother did not make a scrunch face.

“Yeah buddy. It’s our one week anniversary.” Victor replied proudly.

“Are you doing anything special?” his little brother inquired with a smile.

Victor smiled back. “Yes. But it’s a surprise and I can’t tell anyone.”

Adrian smiled back. He understood. He went back to watching cartoons.

A quick knock at the door indicated that Felix had stopped by. 

“I got it.” Pilar said as she walked to the door and opened it for Felix.

“Hey Pilar!” Felix greeted. 

“Hey.” Pilar replied, engrossed in her cell phone.

“Hey Felix!” Victor said from his place on the couch in the living room.

Felix walked over. “Hey buddy! Excited about tonight?” he asked.

Victor smiled. He had confided in Felix and Lake about his plans, along with Mia. Lake, of course, had jumped on board immediately and somehow, she was now assisting Benji with picking out his outfit. This had the added benefit of spying on Benji for Victor to make sure he didn’t catch on to Victor’s plans.

“Yeah man. I can’t wait.” he admitted.

Felix sat down next to Victor and looked at his friend.

“Victor, buddy. I am so happy for you. And I know I haven’t said it, but I am so proud of you for what you’ve been through this week. I know it wasn’t easy. But you did it. And I just-”

Felix didn’t finish the sentence. Victor had already thrown his arms around Felix and pulled his best friend in for a hug.

“Felix, you are the greatest friend a guy could have. Really. I seriously could not have gotten through these past few weeks-especially this week- without you.” Victor said as he hugged his friend tightly.

When they pulled apart, Felix looked back at Victor and smiled. He saw how far Victor had come and how much he had changed, for the better, in just a week’s time. He rested his arm around Victor’s shoulder, just letting his love for his friend show through as they watched TV together.

****

A knock on his front door jolted Benji out of his trance. He looked at his clock and saw that it was already 3pm. He looked down at his work and smiled. It was already mostly dry. By the time he would have to leave, it would be good to go.

He got up from his room and walked over to answer the door. His parents had gone out earlier so Lake and he had some time to figure out what he would wear.

He opened the door and Lake wasted no time.

“Alright, show me to your closet! We’ve got work to do.”

Benji smirked. She looked over at him and grinned. “Nice abs. No wonder Victor can’t keep his hands off of you.”

Benji rolled his eyes. “I’ll show you to the closet and then I just need to shower quickly.”

Lake nodded her head. “Sounds like a plan. By the time you’re done, I’ll have the perfect outfit ready for your double date.”

Benji led Lake into his room and she took it in carefully. It was a bit messy, but he had managed to make his bed at least. And the closet was fairly organized. Lake looked down at the desk and saw Benji’s drying picture.

“Benji! That is adorable!”

Benji blushed. “It’s my gift for tonight. For our one week.”

Lake squealed. “Ugh! You are so romantic it kills me! Why do all the good ones have to be gay?!”

“Uh Lake….Felix?”

Lake laughed. “No, I know. Felix is... amazing. He’s just not _quite_ so romantic. You know?”

Benji did. While Victor had clearly shown that he _could_ be romantic, Benji had not yet seen that side of him when it came to dating. And that was okay. They were only dating a week now and Victor had had a lot on his plate. Plus, he had been grounded for the past week and was only now being allowed to back out on dates again. Benji didn’t want to rush Victor into anything either. He was comfortable taking things slow right now. Despite going slow, the whole week had been a whirlwind for the both of them all the same. 

Lake moved over to Benji’s closet and started to go through his clothes. “Okay, you go get showered. I’ll leave some things on your bed. And then I’ll do your makeup! Oh! This is going to be so great!”

Benji rolled his eyes. “I’m not really much of a makeup person.” he said. 

Lake waved her hands, batting his fears away. “It’ll be subtle but it’ll work. Trust me. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

Realizing he probably didn’t have a choice anyway, Benji just nodded and left Lake to plan an outfit while he headed to the shower.

****

“No!” Pilar said, tossing the shirt over her shoulder and into a rather large pile of discarded clothes.

“But-” Victor said. He was standing by his dresser in a navy bathrobe. 

“No!” Victor’s sister repeated. She dug through his closet and pulled out a deep purple shirt. She turned to Mia.

“That could work.” Mia agreed. She turned to Bram. 

“I think so.” Bram said. He looked over at Simon and Simon looked back at Victor, silently apologizing for being involved in the current situation entirely.

“Okay. So that goes to the maybe pile.” Pilar said. She handed it to Mia and Mia placed it on Victor’s bed.

“Guys, I really appreciate this, but I think I can dress myself.”

His sister spun around to look at him along with Mia and Bram.

“Victor, you are my brother and I love you. But you are a _terrible_ dresser.”

“It’s true. You weren’t good at it when we were dating.” Mia admitted.

“Almost as bad as Simon.” Bram agreed.

“Hey!” Simon said, not wanting to be dragged into this.

“Sorry Si, but you have a literal _rainbow_ of hoodies in our closet. Not to mention that jacket which you only saved from a bonfire by passing it over to poor Victor.” Bram replied.

Simon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t one for the whole fashion thing. 

“I really like that jacket.” Victor said to Simon. He winked.

Simon chuckled and smiled at him.

“Oh! What about this?” Pilar said, pulling out a light aquamarine button down shirt.

“Pair it with this!” Mia said, handing Pilar a blue-grey vest Victor didn’t even remember owning.

“And these shoes will work.” Bram said, pointing to Victor’s only other pair of dress shoes- black.

“I think we’ve got it.” Mia agreed.

“Just the small matter of pants.” Simon helpfully pointed out.

Pilar glared at Simon and returned to the closet.

“Aha!” she said, withdrawing a dark charcoal pair of pants.

She handed it to Mia and Mia assembled the outfit.

“I like it!” Bram said.

“I don’t know guys-” Victor started to say.

Simon placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Victor, this is your date. But I have to agree with them, I think you should at least try it on.”

He looked back at the outfit and shrugged. “Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

Satisfied, the small crowd filed out of Victor’s room to leave him to get changed.

****

Benji walked out of his room and waited for Lake’s approval.

“So hot. Victor’s a lucky guy.” She said, causing Benji to roll his eyes.

“Okay Lake, thank you for your help.” Benji started to say.

“Makeup.” Lake reminded him.

Benji sighed. He’d hoped she had forgotten that.

“Trust me. I promise you’ll love it.”

Benji just nodded and motioned for Lake to follow him to the bathroom.

****

“And done.” Mia said as she stepped back from Victor.

“Really not a makeup person.” Victor insisted again.

Bram smirked. “Just look in the mirror Vic. You look great.”

Simon agreed. “You really do.”

Victor looked to his sister and she held up a mirror, giving her brother a first look.

Victor saw his reflection smiling back at him. Despite the time it took, Victor could barely tell he was wearing makeup. His features were just subtly enhanced and more colorful. His cheeks a bit more red from the blush applied. His lips just a bit more pink. And his eyes popped just a bit more with the thin eyeliner Mia had applied.

“You know, this gay best friend thing isn’t half bad.” Mia said, stepping back to enjoy her work.

Victor smiled at her. “Thank you Mia.” he said. He started to tear up.

“Oh no. No crying. Now that you have makeup on, you need to learn not to cry.” Mia joked.

Victor laughed, blinking back the tears. “Okay. I promise. But can I at least hug you?”

“Always.” Mia said, opening her arms to Victor as he stepped into her embrace.

Simon looked at his watch. “Uh Victor, we better go if we don’t want to be late.”

Victor nodded and he followed everyone out of the apartment. He hugged Mia and Pilar one more time.

“Have a great time.” Mia said.

“You look great.” Pilar added. “Maybe an earring next?”

“Let’s not push it.” Victor replied. He laughed and his sister smiled back at him. For the first time in a long time, they were both genuinely happy.

“Alright, well I have to get going” Mia said. “I promised to meet Andrew for coffee.”

“Coffee?” Pilar repeated, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes. Just coffee.” Mia said and she smiled.

Victor smiled as well. Mia gave him a final small wave and descended the stairs toward the exit.

“And I better get back to Adrian and relieve Felix.” Pilar added. She gave her brother a quick hug and headed down to the apartment below. Simon looked at Victor and Bram.

“Alright. We better head out.” Simon said.

Victor felt his heart flutter as he descended the stairs with Simon and Bram. He was looking forward to tonight.

****

Simon pulled the station wagon into the driveway outside Benji’s house and saw that Benji was already waiting outside. He had a small package in one hand.

“Wow.” Bram said as he saw Benji. He turned in his seat to look at Victor and smiled.

Victor was smiling too. He opened his door and went around to greet his boyfriend.

Benji was looking sharp. He wore a magenta colored jacket with a deep ‘V’ cut black shirt with grey stripes going down it vertically, and black pants with black shoes. 

“You look-” Victor breathed.

“You too.” Benji said, grinning wide.

Victor kissed him. When they separated, Benji saw Bram and Simon watching with approval from their car.

“Hi guys.” Benji said, waving to them with his free hand.

Simon smiled. “Hey Benji.”

“Hey Benji. Looking sharp!” Bram replied.

“Shall we go?” Victor said, motioning for Benji to join him.

“Yeah.” Benji said, still smiling as he followed Victor to the car.

Once they were in the car, Bram greeted him. “Alright! Double date!” 

Benji smiled and looked at Victor. Victor reached over and squeezed his hand. 

“What’s with the package?” Bram asked.

“Oh. It’s for later.” Benji said, looking at Victor.

Victor was intrigued, but he simply nodded. He was sure the surprise would be worth it.

Bram smiled and said nothing else. He looked over at Simon and nodded. Simon slowly backed the cart out of the driveway and proceeded onto the road.

****

Back from grocery shopping, Armando carried the bags up the stairs. He had just made it to the landing outside Isabel’s apartment when he saw her about to open the door. She had just returned from giving piano lessons.

“Oh. Hi.” She greeted, turning around to face him.

“Hey.” Armando greeted as he balanced a brown grocery bag against his body.

“Adrian was wondering if you could tuck him in tonight.” Isabel said. She looked tired.

Armando sighed. “I won’t be home until late tonight. We’re trying to finish the old Stelter building by the end of the month. It means a lot of late shifts and weekends too.”

Isabel nodded. She understood of course, but it didn’t make it easy to explain to her son. “Maybe you could call him and facetime instead?” she suggested.

“Yeah. Definitely. I can do that.” Armando agreed. He smiled.

Isabel looked relieved. Before she could say anything else, a huge crash followed by a thud and someone shouting caused both Salazars to look up the stairs.

“That came from Felix’s apartment.” Isabel said.

Armando set his groceries against the railing as he bounded up the stairs along with his wife.

The door to Felix’s apartment was closed. Armando banged on the door.

“Felix! Are you in there!”

Isabel had her ear to the door, trying to listen for anything. After several minutes of hearing nothing and Armando and Isabel repeatedly pounding the door, Armando ran into his apartment and returned with a key.

“This is a master key for working on the electrical but-”

“Do it!” Isabel ordered.

Armando nodded and he inserted the key into the lock. He quickly turned the door knob and pushed in.

Isabel gasped as she saw the state of the apartment. All around her were stacks of papers and magazines and other items.

“Felix? Are you in here?” Isabel called.

She started to move gingerly around the stacks, careful not to cause a collapse

“Felix!” Armando shouted.

“I’m in the back!” Felix called out in a pained voice.

Isabel and Armando continued to pick their way through the stack of items until they came closer to the back of the apartment.

Felix was on the floor with several boxes on top of him. It was clear that he must have tripped and triggered a small avalanche of items to fall on him.

“Felix!” Isabel said, moving quickly to kneel down by his side.

“Are you hurt?” Armando asked as he looked at the pile of stuff that had buried the boy almost to the waist.

Felix shook his head. “I don’t think so. I just can’t get my legs out from under this junk.”

Armando looked at the piles of items and papers that had collapsed. Several cardboard boxes were in his way. He moved carefully and started to lift the items that he could out of the way, shifting gently so as not to risk hurting Felix.

****

Simon and Bram were mostly silent as Simon drove to their destination. Benji kept looking at Victor and Victor just smiled back. It reminded Benji of when he had first started dating and his dad had driven him and his girlfriend to the movies. 

Fortunately, it was not a long ride. Simon pulled up to their destination twenty minutes later and parked the car. Benji looked around in confusion. _This_ is where they had decided to go?

Victor smiled and opened his door. Benji grabbed the package and followed.

“Okay you two. Have fun.” Bram said. He turned to Victor and handed him two tickets. Then he and Simon turned and headed towards the entrance, leaving Benji and Victor alone.

Benji pointed to Simon and Bram’s backs. “They aren’t coming with us?” he asked.

He was totally confused. He had thought they were getting dinner together. He started to feel overdressed, but then he looked at Victor and felt better.

Victor nodded. “We’ll meet up with them later. But there’s something I wanted to do first.” he said. He reached out and grabbed Benji’s free hand, squeezing it tight. He turned and smiled at Benji and Benji smiled back as they walked toward the entrance.

****

After nearly twenty minutes, Armando had cleared enough of the items that he could see Felix’s jeans and sneakers.

“Okay. We’re going to pull you out the rest of the way.” Armando said.

He turned to Isabel and she nodded. She grabbed Felix’s right arm while Armando grabbed his left.

Felix looked like he was about to cry. He had never been so embarrassed in his life.

“Stupid. Should have watched where I was going…” he muttered to himself.

“1, 2, 3” Armando said as he and Isabel quickly pulled Felix backward and freed his legs.

Felix sat on the floor with his legs outstretched for several minutes. Isabel moved to look at them, pulling up his pant legs and checking to see if there were any major breaks or scrapes.

“I think you may be okay to try and stand. Armando can help you.”

Armando bent down and held his arm out. Felix reluctantly reached up to accept it as the older man pulled the young man up so that he could stand on his feet.

As soon as Felix was standing, he winced in pain. Armando held him firmly around the waist and slung Felix’s arm around his shoulder, trying to take some of the weight from Felix.

“Let’s go to my apartment.” Armando suggested. He couldn’t properly help Felix in this apartment and he didn’t want to bring the boy down steps just yet. 

Isabel nodded and together Armando and Felix navigated the piles toward the front door. Armando supported Felix’s weight as he limped across to his apartment.

Isabel opened it with her key and held the door open as Armando guided Felix to the kitchen chair. He sat the boy down and pulled over another chair to elevate his leg. Then he went into the freezer and retrieved a bag of frozen peas. He gave it to Felix

“Here. Put this on your leg.”

Felix nodded and did as he was told.

The immediate crisis passed, Armando quickly ran downstairs and retrieved his groceries. As he returned, he saw Isabel sitting next to Felix and running her hand through his hair trying to calm the boy.

“Well, now you know.” Felix said, feeling utterly defeated and embarrassed, tear tracks visible on his cheeks.

“Felix, honey. It’s dangerous to live in an apartment like that.” Isabel said.

Felix nodded. “I know that. It’s my mom-” he started to say and again, the tears started to flow. Isabel immediately reached over and embraced him while Armando moved to sit closer to Felix.

Isabel and her husband exchanged a look, clearly concerned.

“Felix, does Victor know?” Armando asked.

Felix sighed. “Of course he doesn’t. Why do you think I always come to him? It’s so embarrassing. Only Lake knows.”

“Honey, you should tell Victor. You’ve done so much for him, do you really think he wouldn’t want to be there for you?” Isabel said.

“I just thought he has enough on his plate.”

“He’s your best friend. He’d want to know.” Armando pointed out.

“Please don’t tell him.” Felix pleaded.

The Salazars looked at each other, exchanging their concern wordlessly.

They did not want to send Felix back to his apartment, but they knew they couldn’t make him. However, asking them to lie to their son? After everything they had been through, they knew they couldn’t do that- even to protect Felix’s feelings.

“Felix. We’re concerned.” Isabel said.

The boy nodded. “I know. And I don’t know what to do. She’s getting worse.”

Armando looked at Isabel. “Maybe Emily could help?”

Isabel nodded. “It’s worth asking.” she agreed.

Felix looked at Victor’s parents and continued to feel tears running down his face. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt.

“I don’t know what to do.” he repeated.

This time, it was Armando who hugged him, bending slightly to press the boy’s head against his chest as he cried.

“This is not something _you_ should have to figure out. That’s not your job." he said. "We’re going to help you Felix.” Armando promised.

Felix looked up and nodded. He couldn’t do this any longer. He needed help. He felt a weight shifting off of him as he surrendered to the Salazars’ care.

Isabel checked the swelling on his leg and saw that it was still very swollen. It may have just been a bad sprain, but it could also be a minor fracture.

“We really should have you looked at and make sure you didn’t break anything.” she said.

Felix shook his head. “I’m okay. Really.”

Isabel looked at Armando and he sighed. They weren’t his parents. They couldn’t force him to go.

“Felix, where is your mother?” Isabel asked. She suddenly felt ashamed for never making the effort to reach out to the woman in the three months since she had moved in.

“She’s visiting my aunt for a while.” Felix said.

“How long has she been gone?” Armando asked.

Felix blinked. “Um...three months.”

“Have you spoken with her since she left?” he asked.

Felix shook his head. “She’s not really one for the phone.”

Isabel sighed. This was getting worse by the minute.

“Do you know when she is planning to come home?” she asked.

Felix lowered his head, facing the floor. “No.” he admitted.

Isabel looked at Armando, unsure what to do next.

“It’s not safe for you to stay in that apartment Felix.” Armando said.

“It is. Really. I just made a mistake.” Felix replied, lowering his head again.

“No, Felix. You didn’t make any mistake.” Isabel said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m going to call Emily.” Armando said.

Isabel nodded. Perhaps after talking to Emily, she thought, they could figure out next steps.

Armando took out his phone but, before he could call the Spiers, it began to ring. Armando answered the phone.

“Mom? Can I call you back?”

“Armando. We need to talk.” His mother said. Her voice was strained.

“Is everything alright?” Armando asked, growing very concerned by the tone.

“Mijo, we saw the video. We know about Victor.” 

****

Benji continued to let Victor lead him to their destination, incredibly confused about what was going on.

They were in a large park. Some type of festival was going on but Victor just walked past it as if it didn’t even exist. So apparently, the festival was _not_ why Victor had brought Benji.

Finally, they reached their destination and Victor paused. He turned to look at Benji and gestured to where they were.

Benji looked up at the giant Ferris Wheel. It was one of the largest Ferris Wheels he had seen. It had to be at least 200 feet tall.

He looked back at Victor and smiled. Victor took his hand and let it sway a little as he spoke.

“Benji, when I first came to Creekwood, I immediately felt a connection with you. The night of the winter carnival, I wanted to ask you to be the one to ride the Ferris Wheel with me.” His face fell and he frowned from embarrassment. “But when I saw you, I lost my nerve.”

He gestured with his head to the Ferris Wheel. “I wouldn’t change a thing about what happened, because it led us to this moment. But...now that I have worked up that nerve...I wanted to ask you...would you ride the Ferris Wheel with me?” Victor looked at Benji with big, puppy dog eyes and smiled shyly.

Benji grinned. “Victor, there is _nothing_ more in the world that I want right now than to ride on the Ferris Wheel with you.” Benji said, stepping forward and kissing his boyfriend.

He held on, feeling the fireworks between them. Benji remembered all the ups and downs of the past few months and realized that Victor was right. It had all led to this moment. They had had to go through some difficult times to get where they were now. But it had all been worth it. Finally, they were together.

Benji extended his right hand, still clutching the package with his left hand, and Victor took it. He led Benji to the Ferris Wheel and handed his ticket to the operator. The two boys entered a fully enclosed gondola and took their seats as the ride started to move.

Victor sat next to Benji and continued to hold his hand as the gondola rose higher into the air. As it reached the top, Victor looked at Benji.

“Benji, I wanted our one week anniversary to be special because you are so special to me.” 

He turned to fully face him. “I know we’ve only been dating for a week, but my feelings for you go back months. And this week, you were there for me always and without question. No matter how low I got, I knew I could count on you. I knew that when I was with you, I was safe.”

“Of course you are.” Benji said. “I really care about you Victor.” Benji said. “I’ll always be there for you.”

Victor smiled and squeezed Benji’s hand. “I know that. And I will always be there for you. I promise. And this week, I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I want.”

He looked at Benji and breathed. Everything came easier when he was near Benji.

“And what I want right now, is to tell you how I feel about you.”

He squeezed Benji’s hand and looked him in the eye. He exhaled.

“Benji, I love you.” 

He smiled. Benji looked back at Victor, stunned for a moment and then he too smiled as wide as possible.

“Oh Victor, I love you too. I’m so glad I can finally say it!”

Victor laughed and he moved in to kiss him. Benji held his face with his free hand and caressed his cheek. He was in love and he could finally say it out loud. And not only that, Victor loved him as well.

Victor pulled back and he smiled. Benji smiled as well and then he blinked. “Oh. Right.”

He handed Victor the package he’d carried around all night.

“Happy One Week Anniversary.” Benji said with a grin.

Victor smiled at him and carefully undid the brown wrapping paper. He shifted it into his lap and carefully turned the picture frame over. He gasped.

“Benji. I love it!” he said, looking at his boyfriend. He leaned forward and kissed him again. "This is amazing!"

“Well, you’re pretty amazing.” Benji said with a grin.

Victor looked down at the framed artwork. It was Benji’s best drawing yet. Victor was the main focus of the painting. It was just his upper torso. He was shirtless and smiling and he was leaning against a shirtless, smiling Benji. And behind them was the deep blue water and the night sky. And in the corner was the full moon, it’s moonlight dancing off the water, illuminating the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end for now.
> 
> On Monday, I will post the first chapter of Part 2: Pressure
> 
> For those wondering, yes, it is inspired by the song. In this case, Billy Joel's "Pressure"
> 
> I know some of you may be wondering about these loose ends. I will not make you wait long. However, I hope you can understand why they were included. Both were always part of this plot (I actually wrote Felix's scenes with the Salazars well over a week ago and kept pushing it back because it didn't fit yet) and in this instance, these scenes take us back to the very start of this story for Armando and Isabel in some ways. In this instance, by getting caught and coming clean, Felix has felt weight lifted. But for Armando and Isabel, there is new weight. New pressure.


End file.
